Through The Years
by Karbear10
Summary: James Potter and Gloria May are two completely different people, leading two completely different lives. But on September 1st, 2016, their paths cross for the first time, and little do they know, someday, the lives of the two will be for ever changed. [Sorry, I'm not very good at summaries, please just Read and Review!]
1. Chapter One

"James, I really think we should go over everything again. Just one more time."

James sighed, turning around to face his mother. "Mum, we've already gone over everything a million times. I have all my books, I have my robes, I have _everything_ that I could possibly need."

Ginny looked at him. "Did you remember to pack enough socks and underwear?" She asked.

James's hands flew to his cheeks. "Oh no!" He cried. A look of panic crossed Ginny's face, and James laughed. "I'm kidding, Mum. I told you. I have everything. If I forgot something, you can owl it to me."

Ginny sighed, and she smiled down at James. "I know. I'm just worried about you. Here I am, sending my first child off to Hogwarts. It will be so different without you at home."

"You'll still have me and Albus!" James looked over to see that Lily had run up behind their mum, with Albus and their dad following close behind.

"Everybody ready?" Harry asked. James nodded anxiously, along with the others. The family all headed towards Platform 93/4. As he ran towards the wall, James closed his eyes tightly, opening them in relief when he arrived on the other side. He barely noticed his family coming behind him, as he was too focused on the train. He stared at it in awe and excitement. James could still hardly believe he was _finally_ going to go to Hogwarts.

"Now, James." Harry began. James turned to look at him. "Remember to be good. Behave yourself, don't give your Professors any trouble, don't get detentions, and be nice to your classmates."

James rolled his eyes, grinning at his Dad. "I know Dad. I'll be good." He promised.

"And don't forget to write." Ginny reminded him.

"I'll try to remember." James replied, nodding.

"James!"

James turned happily to see his cousin Fred running towards him, followed by Roxanne and his Uncle George and Aunt Angelina.

"Fred!" He called, waving excitedly.

Fred arrived next to James, grinning widely. "I'm so excited! I can't wait!" He cried ecstatically.

"I know! It's the best day ever!" James agreed.

"It's 10:50." Angelina commented. "You boys better get on the train."

Fred and James gathered up their stuff. James turned to hug Ginny and Harry. "Bye Mum. Bye Dad." He said.

"Bye, James." Harry grinned proudly, straightening up and ruffling his son's hair.

"Good-bye, James." Ginny exclaimed, throwing her arms around him once more.

"Good-bye, Mum." James said again.

Ginny stood up. "Now, I want you to write me as soon as you can, okay? Tell me everything."

James nodded. "Okay, Mum."

Ginny leaned down once more and kissed him good-bye, and then Harry hugged him one more.

"Bye, Mum, bye Dad. I love you." James said softly, hugging them both again.

"We love you too." Ginny said, and Harry nodded in agreement, smiling.

James heard sniffling behind him. He turned and saw Lily trying not to cry. "Aw, Lils, don't cry." He said.

"But I'll miss you!" Lily wailed.

"I'll be back for Christmas." James told her.

"But that's so far away!" Lily replied, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"I'll write you all the time. Promise." He assured her.

Lily thought about that for a second. "Okay." She finally decided.

"Bye Lily." James hugged her, and she planted a big, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Bye James." She said. He made a face and wiped his sleeve on his face. He then turned to Albus.

"Bye Al." He said.

"Bye, James." Albus replied, hugging him.

James turned away, when heard a voice say, "No good-bye for me, huh?"

James grinned in delight and turned around once more. "Teddy!" He cried.

Teddy laughed and hugged James. "Bye James."

"Good-bye, Teddy." James said.

After they had finished saying all their good-byes, James and Fred climbed onto the train together. Once they were on the train, they decided to go find a compartment. Halfway through the train, they found a compartment that had only two people in it; their cousins Louis and Molly.

They entered the compartment and sat down. "Hey guys." James greeted.

"Hi." Louis said, looking towards them.

"Hey." Fred said.

Molly looked up. "Oh, hello guys."

"The train leaves in about 5 minutes." Louis informed them.

"I'm so excited!" Molly said, smiling like a maniac.

The four of them continued waiting anxiously for 11:00 when the train would leave. Occasionally one of them would remark on how exciting it was, or they would say hello to one of their relatives walking past, but mostly they just sat in silence. Every so often Louis would call out the time.

"It's 10:59!" Louis yelled suddenly. "Just one more minute."

Everyone began leaning out to call last minute good-byes to their families. "Bye, everybody!" James called.

"Bye James! We love you!" Called Ginny.

"You promised to write! Don't forget!" Lily reminded him. Harry and Albus just waved.

Suddenly, almost before they knew it, the train was pulling out and they were on their way.

* * *

Gloria May and her family had arrived at the train station at 10:00 on September 1st. She personally thought that was a bit early, as the train didn't leave until 11:00, but her mum, May May, had insisted.

"It's better to be early than to be late." She had said. Gloria had only shrugged. It wasn't as if she had anything to do. She had double checked to make sure she had packed everything the night before, had eaten breakfast, and then sat there until they left.

By 10:45, however, Gloria's mum seemed to be wishing they hadn't come so early. Her triplet siblings, Amy, Madalyne, and Eman had become bored and were constantly asking their father, Jonny, what Hogwarts would be like when they finally went next year. Gloria was also occasionaly pestering her father with questions, but was really to excited and nervous to do much of anything.

"Waaaah!" Gloria looked over to see her 1-year-old sister, Josephine, begin to cry. She sighed, brushing her charmed-black hair out of her face, and began wondering once more about Hogwarts. Her thoughts were soon interrupted.

"Gloria!" She whirled around to see her grandmother, Grace, and her grandfather, Zachary, coming towards them.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" She exclaimed, hopping up and rushing towards them. "You came!"

"We did promise we would." Zachary laughed.

"We weren't about to miss seeing our granddaughter off to her first year of Hogwarts." Grace laughed. "Oh, and here comes your cousins now."

Grace looked to see her Aunt Flora and Uncle Benjamin following after her cousins, Jackson and Amber. They were twins, and were about to start their second year at Hogwarts.

"Amber! Jackson!" Gloria called, waving happily. All over her siblings heard this and started calling greetings to their cousins.

"Hi Uncle Benjamin. Hi Aunt Flora." Gloria said, hugging everybody.

After they had all settled down, Gloria turned to her cousins and asked for the thousandth time, "What's Hogwarts like?"

"Well," Amber began, "for starters, after we get off the train, all the first years will ride the boats across the lake. Everyone else rides the carriages up to the school."

"Then once you're there, you'll get sorted, as you know." Jackson put in.

Gloria nodded, thinking of what to ask next. "Tell me more about Hogwarts Quidditch matches!" She exclaimed.

"Why?" Jackson asked. "You won't even be allowed to play this year."

"No, but I will next year. I'll be a beater, just like Grandma was, and this year, I'm going to watch every match. Besides, you guys will be playing!" Gloria cried out in excitement.

"Not necessarily." Amber reminded her. "Only if we make the team. We may not."

"You may not, but I sure will." Jackson boasted. Amber shoved him playfully.

"Guys, it's 10:50. You need to start getting on the train." Jonny said.

Gloria hugged him, and he kissed the top of her head. "Bye Glory-bean." He said.

She laughed. "Daddy!"

"Sorry. I forgot you're all grown up now. Good-bye, Gloria." He hugged her once more.

Gloria turned to May. "Bye Mum." She said, hugging her.

May hugged her back. "Bye Gloria. Don't forget to write."

"I won't." Gloria promised before turning to Eman, Amy, and Madalyne, hugging them each in turn. "Bye Eman. Bye Amy. Bye Madalyne." She told them.

"Bye, Gloria." Eman said.

"Yeah, bye Gloria." Madalyne replied.

"Good-bye, Gloria." Amy hugged Gloria once more.

"Bye, Josephine." Gloria said, leaning over to her. She just blinked back at her, then reached up and touched her face.

Gloria turned to her grandparents and hugged them. "Bye Grandma. Bye Grandpa."

"Bye Gloria." They both replied, hugging her back.

Gloria turned and said good-bye to her Aunt and Uncle, and then her and her cousins got onto the train. Amber and Jackson immediately ran off to find their friends, leaving Gloria alone.

Before long, the train began moving, Gloria waved and called out one last good-bye to her family. Soon, they disappeared out of sight, and she was on her way.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: So, I just realized I forgot to write an authors note last chapter, so here it is now. I don't own anything you recognize. You may have read one of my other stories, you may not have. If you have, you will know I no longer give weekly updates. If not… don't expect weekly updates. I'll try if I have time, but I most likely won't. So yeah, anyways, here's the chapter, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

After a couple of seconds of just standing around, Gloria realized she should find a compartment. She turned around and had walked about 20 steps when somebody rammed into her from behind. Gloria grabbed at- well, she wasn't totally sure what it was; a person, a wall- and somehow managed to avoid landing flat on her face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" A voice behind her cried.

Gloria turned around to see a girl about her age. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." She held out her hand. "My name is Gloria May."

The girl shook her hand. "I'm Lydia Sunow. Again, I'm really sorry about running into you. My jerky brother and his friends just chased me out of their compartment, because apparently it's 'uncool' to let your poor, first year sister sit with you."

Gloria nodded, though secretly she agreed with this brother. She surely wouldn't want the triplets to sit with her next year. "Well, maybe you could find a compartment with me." She suggested.

Lydia grinned widely. "That would be great!" She agreed, nodding.

As they began walking, Gloria looked at Lydia. "What house is your brother in?"

"He's a second year Slytherin." Lydia replied. "I'm hoping to be a Ravenclaw. What house do you want to be in?"

Gloria thought for a second. "I'd prefer either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. My parents and Grandparents were all Ravenclaws, my Aunt was Hufflepuff and so are my two cousins, and then my Uncle was Gryffindor. So really, I'd be fine with any house." She shrugged.

Lydia nodded. "My Mum's side of the family were all Slytherin, and my Dad's were all Ravenclaw. But I don't want to be in the same house as Tyler, so Ravenclaw it is."

They came to a compartment with four people in it, three boys and one girl. Unsure what to do, Gloria reached up and knocked lightly on the doorframe.

* * *

James heard a quiet knock, as did the others. They looked up to see two girls in the doorway, one with black hair and another with brown hair.

"Hi…" the black-haired one said. "Me and my friend were looking for a compartment and were wondering if we could sit in here with you?"

"Sure!" Molly agreed brightly. The two girls came in and sat down.

"I'm Lydia Sunow." Brown-hair said.

"And I'm Gloria May." The black-haired girl added.

"Hey." James said. "I'm James Potter."

Gloria's eyes widened slightly, and Lydia audibly gasped. "James Potter? As in, _Potter_? As in, Harry Potter's son?" Her voice had gotten higher on every syllable until James was sure that his ears would bleed if it got any higher.

James sighed slightly. "Yup." He said. "That James Potter."

Gloria looked at the Fred, Louis, and Molly. "Who are you?" She asked them.

"I'm Fred Weasley." Fred replied.

"And I'm Molly Weasley." Molly smiled at them.

Louis looked at them. "Louis Weasley."

Lydia looked about ready to faint. "Oh. My. Gosh." She whispered.

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What house do you guys want to be in?"

"I want Ravenclaw." Lydia said.

"I think either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor would be best, but I'm cool with any house, really." Gloria shrugged.

"I agree." Molly nodded.

"I want Gryffindor." James told them. Fred and Louis nodded in agreement.

"So…" Lydia said.

They sat in silence until the snack trolley came by, and they each bought lots of sweets.

James opened one of his chocolate frogs. He looked at the card and made a face. "Oh. I got Dad again. I've already got eight of him."

Lydia gasped. "Oh, you're so lucky! I've been trying for ages to get him! He's the last one I need to complete my new collection of my favorite famous witches and wizards!"

Molly bit her lip, as if trying not to laugh, while the boys just looked slightly amused. James handed Lydia the card. "Here. Take it." He said.

Lydia looked at him in shock. "Are you serious?" She asked.

James shrugged. "Why not?" He asked. "I don't need it. I see the real one at home all the time."

Lydia took it. "Thank you so much!"

They sat there for a long time, just eating their sweets and talking about random stuff, when eventually they got on the subject of siblings.

"Well, I'm the oldest," James was saying, "then there's Albus, he'll be coming next year, and then Lily, who is two years younger than Al."

"Well, there's me, then Lucy is Lily's age." Molly said.

"There's me, then in two years Roxanne is coming. She's the worst." Fred declared. "So annoying."

"No." Louis disagreed. "Try always living with Victoire and Dominique." He looked at Gloria and Lydia. "Victoire is a sixth year, Dominique is a fourth."

Gloria raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of cousins." She said.

James grinned. "That's not even all of them. We forgot Rose, who is Albus's age, and Hugo, who is Lily's."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "You guys are lucky to have a big family. With mine, it's just me and my brother Tyler. He's a second year Slytherin."

They all looked at Gloria. "Well…" she began. "I have to cousins, Amber and Jackson, who are second year Hufflepuffs. Then there's me. After me are the triplets, Amy, Madalyne, and Eman. They'll be coming to Hogwarts next year. And Josephine, who is one."

Lydia sighed. "Seems I'm the only one without a large family." She said.

They continued talking for awhile before they separated and all got changed into their robes. They spent the rest of the train ride laughing and talking. And, eventually, they were there.

* * *

Gloria was nervous. They had gone on the boats, into the school, and now they were standing in the Great Hall waiting to be sorted.

 _Okay, Gloria. It's going to be fine. You'll be happy with any house. Your family will be proud of you no matter what_.

"Gloria May."

She was wrenched back into reality by the sound of her name being called. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. She sat on the stool and the hat was placed upon her head.

* * *

James sat anxiously awaiting his turn to be sorted. Currently, Gloria was being sorted. After a wait of about 30 seconds, the hat yelled out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Everyone at the Ravenclaw table clapped as the hat was removed from Gloria's head and she went over to sit with her new housemates.

As other people continued to get sorted, James continued to stand there, beginning to get nervous. What if he wasn't sorted into Gryffindor? Everyone was expecting him to be, he knew that much. His parents had told him it didn't matter where he was sorted, but James didn't think that was if Fred, Louis, and Molly were all sorted into Gryffindor and he wasn't?

James was so lost in his worries that he barely noticed when they called his name.

"James Potter."

James was wrenched out of his worries and he slowly stepped forward towards the hat. He sat down on the stool and the hat was placed on his head.

* * *

Gloria watched from the Ravenclaw table as James shakily walked forwards and sat on the stool. He looked paler than Gloria would have thought possible as the hat was placed upon his head.

Somewhere between 5 and 10 seconds later, the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone at the Gryffindor table clapped, and Gloria saw the color had returned to James' face as he walked down to sit with his house members.

Not long after it was Lydia's turn to be sorted. The hat took it's time with her. Eventually, though, it cried out, "RAVENCLAW!" Gloria clapped along with all her other house mates as Lydia came to sit next to her.

They watched everyone else get sorted. Eventually, it was the Weasleys' turn.

"Fred Weasley."

Fred walked forward, the hat was placed on his head, and then the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Fred was met with loud clapping from the Gryffindor table as he went to join them.

"Louis Weasley."

Louis went forward to be sorted, and the hat roared out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Once more, the Gryffindors all clapped as Louis came down, and then the last name was called.

"Molly Weasley."

Molly walked over to the stool and sat down, allowing the hat to be placed on her head. After a few seconds- "RAVENCLAW!"

A split second later everyone started clapping as Molly came down and sat with her fellow Ravenclaws.

Headmistress McGonagall said a few words, and then the food appeared. Everyone began piling mountains of food on their plates and stuffing their faces.

Gloria began talking to another first year Ravenclaw, Kimberly Thylis. She was a muggleborn and an only child, and she was extremely talkative.

"I always wanted another sibling to play with," she was saying, "but apparently there were too many complications with my birth, so my parents decided they wouldn't have any more kids."

Gloria laughed. "Consider yourself lucky. Siblings are a lot of trouble. I have four of them. Amy, Madalyne and Eman, the triplets, who are a year younger than me, and then Josephine, who is one." She said. "And I'm pretty sure my parents want another when Josephine is a bit older."

Kimberly looked at her in awe. "I'm the lucky one?" She asked. "I would love to have that many siblings!"

"You can take them." Gloria told her.

Lydia nodded, joining their conversation. "While you're at it, take Tyler. He's a year older than us."

"If you want Lucy, you can have her too." Molly added from across the table.

Kimberly wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I want _that_ many siblings." She said.

"Believe me, you don't want any of them." Lydia said.

"If you're taking siblings, you can have Joey here." A third year Ravenclaw said, motioning to a first year sitting next to him.

The first year, Joey, shoved him, but he ignored him. "Just hand over a galleon and he's all yours." The third year continued.

Joey pushed him again. "Billy! You know what Mum said about trying to sell me! Especially after the incident over the summer." He said.

Billy crossed his arms. "Hey, it's not my fault that Irish witch took me seriously." He said defensively. Gloria stifled a laugh.

Kimberly made a face, looking at Joey. "No thanks." She said. "I think I'll pass."

Billy shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said, turning back towards his friends.

Molly looked at Joey. "He actually tried to sell you?" She asked.

Joey nodded. "We were out shopping one day, and Billy was yelling that he would sell me for one galleon. Then, this Irish witch came by and actually tried to buy me. I think Billy was actually considering it to, especially after she said she'd up it to two galleons. Long story short, Mum was not happy."

Kimberly laughed. "I would imagine she wasn't." She said.

Gloria laughed as well. "That's awful!" She exclaimed. "As annoying as my siblings are, I would never actually try to sell them." And Gloria truly did think that was awful. She couldn't imagine _ever_ being serious about selling her siblings.

"I don't think even Tyler would do that." Lydia told them all. "He's in Slytherin, by the way."

They all continued laughing and talking until it was time to go to their dorms to sleep. Once they got to the Common Room, it asked the prefect a riddle, and he answered it. Then they all went in and, after they were told where their dorm rooms were, they went to bed and got a good night's sleep.

* * *

After they were all sorted, James got to know some of his fellow Gryffindors as they ate. Of course, he already knew Fred and Louis, but there were a lot of other new first years as well. There was William Graqur, for one, and Timothy Restwal. There was also Shelby Whisteril and Hannah and Rhonda Dreilyn, along with Kelly Yiverst. James personally thought Kelly was kind of cute-ish. Ish. Maybe.

After the feast they were led up to their Common Room. Once they got there, the prefect said, "Quid Agis." The door opened and they all went inside. They were shown where they would find their dormitories, and they all went in to go to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: I did not make up the Gryffindor password, I got it off of the internet. Anyways… I don't know how good this chapter was so if you could maybe review to tell me, that would be great. So yeah… nothing much else to say. I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: Well, I know it's been awhile since I last updated, but I've been super busy. I'm pretty happy with this chapter, but I really want to hear what** _ **you**_ **think. Maybe leave a review? *wink wink* Anyways, here's the chapter, I hope you enjoy!**

The next day at breakfast, a letter came for James. He couldn't imagine who would be writing to him now; he had just gotten to Hogwarts! He opened the letter and read it.

 _Dear James,_

 _This is Rose. I'm very sorry we missed seeing you, Fred, Louis, and Molly off to Hogwarts. Hugo and I are both sick. So, I wrote a letter to each of you to tell you good-bye and wish you luck. I hope you have fun!_

 _Rose_

 _P.S. Hugo says to say hi, good-luck, have fun!_

James smiled slightly, and saw that Fred and Louis had received nearly identical letters. He could bet that Molly had gotten one as well.

Fred sighed, laughing. "Oh, Rosie and Hugo. Of course they would go and wind up sick on the most important day of our lives." He joked.

Louis nodded gravely. "Yes. Shame on them…" He added.

James laughed as well. "Of all the days of the year to fall ill, they had to chose September 1st."

Kelly and Shelby walked into the Great Hall and slid into the empty seats next to James, Fred, and Louis. "Hey." Kelly greeted. "Who are those from?" She motioned to the letters.

"Our cousin, Rose." James informed her. "She was sick yesterday and missed seeing us off."

"Of all the days to be sick." Fred repeated in mock disapproval.

"Well, it's sweet that she cares enough to write." Shelby said, nibbling on some bacon.

"Yeah." Kelly agreed.

They all continued talking for awhile before it was time to go to their first class.

James looked his schedule. He had Potions first. They all went, and before they knew it, they had finished all their classes for the day.

"Why did they give us homework on the first day?" Fred groaned as they walked out of their last class.

"I dunno." James said. "How should we spend the rest of our first day? It has to be something fun. We'll never get another very first day again. We're not just hiding out in the Common Room doing homework."

"We should go outside." Louis suggested.

James and Fred thought about it for a second. "Okay." James agreed.

The three all went to put their stuff in the Common Room and then they headed outside. Once they were out there they looked around for something to do. James thought for a second. "We could go to the lake, maybe." He suggested.

Fred and Louis shrugged. "Sure." They both agreed. They all went over and stood by the lake.

"It's really huge." Fred remarked.

"Yeah. I had thought it wouldn't look as big now that we're not floating across it in some boats, but… it does." James agreed. Louis just nodded.

Suddenly, Fred looked back, before turning and waving at someone behind them. "Hey, Kelly." He called. "What would you say if we were to push you into the lake?"

James turned around to see Kelly walking towards them, along with Shelby. She was laughing. "I would probably yell at you, and then push you in." She told them after thinking for a second.

Fred turned to Shelby. "What about you?" He asked her.

Shelby thought for a second, before saying, "I really don't know."

"Well, let's find out." Louis shrugged, lunging to grab her. She shrieked and jumped backwards. Louis laughed. "I was just joking." He said.

Shelby glared at him, but she soon began laughing as well. "Not funny." She said, before erupting into another fit of giggles. Her blond hair was falling into her face as she laughed.

Kelly laughed as well, brushing her light red hair out of her face. Before long, James and Fred were laughing too, for no apparent reason.

* * *

After they had finished their classes, Gloria, Lydia, Kimberly, and Joey all decided to go outside and do their homework.

"It's such a nice day." Kimberly commented. "The sun is shining, it's warm… it's just so beautiful out!"

"Yeah, it is." Gloria agreed. And it truly was a gorgeous day. There was a nice, warm breeze. The sun was shining brightly. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. Gloria didn't think they could have asked for a better day.

They found a tree and sat down under it to do some homework. They hadn't gotten much done, however, when they grew bored and decided to find something to do.

Gloria put her stuff in her bag. Luckily, it wasn't very heavy, as they hardly had any homework today.

"What do you want to do?" Joey asked, looking at them. Lydia shrugged, and Gloria was about to reply that she didn't know, when the sound of loud laughter floated through the air.

The four looked at each other. "Come on, let's go check it out." Gloria told them.

They all walked towards the sound of the laughing. Before long, they found out who it was. It was James, Fred, and Louis, along with two other girls Gloria didn't know.

* * *

James finally calmed down enough to see people walking towards them. After a closer look, he realized it was Gloria and Lydia, with a boy and a girl he didn't know. The boy had dark brown hair, and the girl had brown hair with just a hint of red.

"Hey." He called. They waved back.

The others all looked. "Hey guys!" Fred called, while Louis just waved.

They had made it to them and had stopped walking, so Kelly, motioning to the unknowns, asked, "Who's this?"

"Oh, hi." Gloria started. "My name is Gloria May."

"I'm Lydia Sunow." Lydia added, waving.

"Kimberly Thylis." The girl told them.

"And I'm Joey Astern." The boy finished.

"Oh." James said, having nothing else to say.

"And you are…?" Kimberly asked.

"Oh!" James exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I'm James Potter."

Kimberly gasped. "Wait so… Harry Potter is your dad?" She asked. When James nodded, she added, "So that would mean… Ginny Potter is your mum?"

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah." He said.

Kimberly looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh." She whispered.

"I'm Fred Weasley." Fred added.

"Louis Weasley."

"I'm Shelby Whisteril." Shelby greeted, smiling slightly.

"Kelly Yiverst." Kelly said, grinning at them.

Everyone stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. James began to wish someone would just say something, when suddenly some older kids ran by. One of them bumped into Kimberly, causing her to lose her balance, and before James knew what had happened she fell into the lake with a loud splash.

James, Fred, and Louis just stared for a second, before looking at each other and bursting out in laughter. James calmed down enough to see Joey rush into the lake after her, but the sight of Gloria, Lydia, and a soaked Joey pulling out an equally wet Kimberly just made him laugh harder.

Gloria glared at him in disbelief. "Are you for real?" She asked. "Kimberly fell into the lake and you _laugh_? You didn't even help get her out, you just _stood_ there!"

James shrugged, still laughing. "Hey, you have to admit, that was just hilarious."

Gloria just shook her head, giving him one more look of disgust, before turning on her heel and storming off with the others close behind. At the sight of her marching away with her hair flowing behind her, Lydia running to keep up, and a shivering, wet Kimberly being led along by Joey, the three friends looked at each other and once again burst out laughing.

* * *

"Honestly, what kind of people are they?" Gloria ranted as they sat in the Ravenclaw Common Room. It was about an hour after Kimberly had fallen in the lake, and she still just couldn't believe that they had just stood there and laughed.

"I agree." Joey nodded quickly. "Kimberly could have gotten hurt."

"Guys, it's fine really." Kimberly said unconvincingly. Gloria raised an eyebrow. Kimberly's hair was tangled, she was still shivering, and the murderous look in her eyes said that it was anything but okay.

"Yeah." Lydia agreed. "Jerks like them aren't worth getting all worked up over. Even famous jerks…"

Gloria gave her a look. "Who cares that they're famous? _They_ aren't even famous, their parents are. How amazing. 'Their parents all fought in the war. They were great people, so these guys must be too!' They are nothing like their parents. Don't like them just because their parents were amazing, Lydia. They are _jerks_ , and just because they have famous parents, they do _not_ have the right to act like that."

Joey nodded again. "Yeah. Let's just try to stay away from them from now on."

At that moment, Molly walked into the Common Room. "Hey guys. Oh, Kimberly, what happened?" She asked when she saw the state of her house mate.

"I fell in the lake." Kimberly shuddered slightly.

"Yeah, and your jerk cousins just stood there and laughed." Lydia stared at Molly accusingly, as if she were the one to blame.

Molly froze up for a second. "James? And Fred? And Louis?" At Gloria's nod, she relaxed visibly. "Well, what can you expect from them, right?"

Gloria was astonished. "What, so you don't even care?" She asked.

Molly shrugged. "Hey, I've known them my whole life. I've seen them do worse. Much worse."

Joey looked curious. "How much worse?"

Molly grimaced. "Let's just say that when I was eight years old, I took a bite of what I thought was chocolate cake and got a mouthful of dirt and worms. And that's on the better end of the scale." She smiled slightly at the looks on their faces and said, "Well, later maybe." With that, she headed up the stairs to the dormitories.

Gloria thought for a second, and finally admitted that maybe it wasn't _that_ bad. It was still rude though, and she had already decided that she didn't like them. They were not the type of people she wanted to associate with.

* * *

"Don't you guys think we should have helped Kimberly?" Shelby asked as they sat in the Common Room. "I mean, it was pretty awful to just stand there."

James shrugged. "It doesn't really matter now. Besides, we couldn't help laughing. It was really funny."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah. That Gloria was just over-reacting. If one of us had fallen in, she would have completely lost it. She would have been on the ground laughing. It was completely uncalled for to snap at you guys like that. I mean, you have the right to laugh. Who does she think she is, trying to tell you you can't? The laughing police?"

Fred raised an eyebrow. "I don't exactly recall her ever telling us we couldn't laugh…"

Louis shook his head. "Yeah, me neither."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "That's exactly what she was telling you. Believe me. I'm a female, I speak girl language. When she says not to laugh at something that was obviously funny, she means don't laugh at all."

James looked at her doubtfully. "Really?"

Shelby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's pretty much what she was saying. I still think we should have helped, but that was a major over-reaction on Gloria's part."

"Wow, what a control freak." Fred said, looking angry.

"Hey, if she's a control freak, what does that make all our female relatives?" Louis asked.

Kelly shook her head. "No, it was mainly just in the tone she used. Besides, it's different when you're related to them."

"How?" James asked. He was beginning to get very confused. Why couldn't girls just say what they mean and mean what they say?

"It just is." Shelby said. "Relatives are supposed to tell you that stuff. It's just different."

"Wow." James said. "The brain of a female must be a dangerous place. You never mean the same thing you say. You girls all have extremely complicated minds. I would get lost in there."

Louis nodded. "Victoire once told me you have to be a female to navigate the mind of a female. And then Dominique kindly added that us boys are 'just too stupid to understand.'"

Fred rolled his eyes. "No, we're plenty smart. Girls are just overly complicated on purpose to confuse us."

"Boys are way more complicated than girls." Kelly argued. "You guys make no sense at all."

"Yeah." Shelby agreed. "Your brains are wired weirdly. Like, I don't even know how it works."

James was astonished. "Are you kidding me?" He asked. "Our brains are easy to understand!"

Shelby shook her head. "No." She told him. "They aren't."

James thought for a second, then he said, "Actually, you know, based on some of the conversations our female relatives have had, I'm not entirely sure girls know how their own brains work."

They all continued talking and laughing, but even as they did so, James could not help wondering. _Was all that stuff Kelly had said true_?

 **A/N: So… What do you think? I can't read minds, so please leave a review and tell me if you like it or not! Do you guys like the way I characterize the characters? What do you think of Kelly and Shelby? Well, anyways, I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: So, I got a review stating that James actually started Hogwarts two years before Albus, as confirmed by J.K. Rowling. Yes, I am aware that it has been confirmed, but I had already started writing this before that was confirmed, so I'm sticking with it and keeping it the way I have it. Just to clear up any confusion. Anyways, here's the chapter, I hope you enjoy.**

James woke up on Saturday at around 6:00 A.M. He looked around. Fred and Louis were just starting to wake up as well. William and Timothy were both still sound asleep. James shook his head quietly, smiling. So they weren't early risers. They'd regret that later into the year…

James got dressed and grabbed a quill and some parchment before heading down into the Common Room. He thought for a second. Who should he write to first? He figured he should probably start with his parents, but Rose had already written to him, so maybe he should reply to her first. Since he figured it would only take a few seconds to reply to Rose, James decided that was what he would do.

 _Dear Rosie and Hugo,_

 _Don't worry about not being able to see us off. Nobody blames you, you didn't get sick on purpose. Speaking of, I hope you two feel better soon._

 _I'm having a lot of fun so far. I was sorted into Gryffindor, of course, along with Fred and Louis. Molly got Ravenclaw, though. Not that I'm really surprised. We met some girls who got sorted into Ravenclaw on the train. Maybe she'll get along with them._

 _We got some homework yesterday. You'd probably love it, Rosie. I haven't done it yet. I will, though. Probably. Just kidding, I will, really!_

 _Again, I hope you feel better soon. Say hi to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione for me!_

 _Your favorite cousin,_

 _James_

James put down his quill and skimmed over the letter again. He then nodded and set it aside. Fred and Louis plopped down into chairs next to him.

"Writing letters?" Louis asked. When James nodded, he sighed. "I suppose I should probably do that too."

Fred muttered in agreement, looking at James' letter to Rose. "Maybe I should just copy this down and send it to Rose. You know just make it _look_ like I wrote it."

"Me too." Louis said.

"You can't do that." James told them. "Rose is too smart for that. If all the letters say the same thing, she'll know something's up. Besides, we can't _all_ be her favorite cousin, and we all know that it's actually me."

Ignoring their protests, James started on his letter to his parents.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _I'm having a lot of fun so far! I of course got sorted into Gryffindor. Fred and Louis did too. But Molly got sorted into Ravenclaw. Some girls we met on the train got sorted into Ravenclaw too. Their names are Gloria May and Lydia Sunow. I don't really think they like us too much, because yesterday their other friend, Kimberly, fell in the lake and we just stood there and laughed. It was really funny, though! Especially when their last friend, Joey, jumped in after her. Kelly said it was okay though._

 _Kelly is another first year Gryffindor. She has this really light red hair, and her eyes are this really cool blue color. She's really nice. She said Gloria just over-reacted when she yelled at us for laughing, and that we had every right to laugh, because it really was funny. Shelby agreed with her. She's one of Kelly's friends. The other two first year boys are William and Timothy. I'm not sure about them. They seem kind of boring._

 _We got some homework yesterday. I haven't done it yet, but I will. Probably tomorrow. I'll probably explore today. There's so much to find. It will be really cool. I'll eat breakfast once I finish this letter. I'm starved, but I don't know if anyone else is awake yet. Anyways, there's not much else to say._

 _Love you,_

 _James_

James put down his quill. "Come on guys. Let's go get breakfast. I'll finish writing letters later."

Fred and Louis followed him, and they all went to go eat breakfast. There was hardly anyone else there when they got to the Great Hall, so they sat in three of the many open seats and ate breakfast. Once they were done, they went back to the Common Room to finish up writing their letters. On the bottom of the one to his parents, he wrote,

 _P.S. The food here is really good._

With that, he grabbed a new piece of parchment to write his next letter.

 _Dear Albus and Lily,_

 _I got Gryffindor! I got Gryffindor! I got Gryffindor! Yay! Of course, we all knew all along that I would. I'm an extremely brave person. Fred and Louis got Gryffindor too, obviously. Molly didn't though. She got Ravenclaw instead. Ravenclaw isn't too bad. There were some girls on the train who got Ravenclaw. Gloria May and Lydia Sunow. They don't like us. Ask Mum and Dad why._

 _Yesterday, Fred, Louis, and me hung out with some first year Gryffindor girls. Their names are Kelly and Shelby. They're pretty cool. Kelly has light red hair and pretty blue eyes. Shelby is blond, but I didn't pay attention to her eye color._

 _Well, there's not much else to say. Bye._

 _Your brother,_

 _James_

 _P.S. The food is good. I think you'd like it._

James waited for Fred and Louis to finish up their letters, then they all went to the owlery together and sent them off.

* * *

It was 8:30 by the time Gloria woke up. She yawned as she got out of bed and went to the Common Room to see Joey, Kimberly, and Lydia all waiting for her. The four of them all went to breakfast together, and it was 9:00 by the time they got back. Gloria decided she should probably write home. She grabbed a quill and some parchment, and then she began the first letter.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _I'm having a great time. I got sorted into Ravenclaw. I met some great friends, Lydia, Kimberly, and Joey. They're all really nice. And you'll never guess who else I met. James Potter, Fred Weasley, Louis Weasley, and Molly Weasley. In fact, Molly also got sorted into Ravenclaw. She seems pretty nice too. As for the boys though… they're all jerks. Yesterday, we were out by the lake, and some older students ran by and bumped into Kimberly, knocking her into the lake. And do you know what they did? They stood there and laughed. They didn't even help her get out. Neither did their friends, Kelly and Shelby. They just watched. It was pretty rude. Kimberly could have gotten hurt! Molly said they've done worse before, though. We think that we're going to just try to stay away from them if they're going to act like that. Also, the food here is amazing! No offense Mum, but it's even better than yours. We've gotten a bit of homework. I finished the majority of it yesterday, though, so I only have a bit to do today and tomorrow. We might look around a bit today, most likely. The castle is huge. It's a good thing we have the whole year to explore! Well, I think I'm going to go now._

 _Love you!_

 _Gloria_

Gloria read over her letter once, checking for spelling mistakes, until she was finally satisfied with it. She then put it aside and started on a letter to her siblings.

 _Dear Madalyne, Eman, and Amy,_

 _Hogwarts is so amazing! You guys will love it when you come next year. I got sorted into Ravenclaw. I met some friends. Lydia, Joey, and Kimberly. They're really great. I also met James Potter, Fred Weasley, Louis Weasley, and Molly Weasley. Molly's a Ravenclaw. The others are all Gryffindors. Molly's nice, but they are jerks. Yesterday, Kimberly fell in the lake, and they stood and laughed instead of helping. Their friends Kelly and Shelby just watched. I didn't like the look of them, especially Kelly. They're bad news, I'm sure of it. Well, that's all I have to tell you._

 _Love you!_

 _Gloria_

She put that one aside and began writing her last letter.

 _Dear Grandma,_

 _Hogwarts is even more amazing than I had imagined it! I got sorted into Ravenclaw, and I'm having so much fun. I've already made some friends, Joey, Lydia, and Kimberly. They're really cool. I also met James Potter, Fred Weasley, Louis Weasley, and Molly Weasley. Molly's okay, but the others aren't. They're just rude. Yesterday, Kimberly fell in the lake, and they didn't even help, they just laughed. Their other friends, Kelly and Shelby, just stood there and watched. I don't like them very much. I'm going to explore today. There's so much to find! So, that's all I have to say._

 _Love you!_

 _Gloria_

Gloria took her letters and went with the others to mail them off. That Wednesday, she got her replies. She was eating breakfast when they arrived.

 _Dear Gloria,_

 _Your father and I are so proud of you._ _ **We are. I always knew you'd make Ravenclaw. You're too much like your Grandmother to have a different house than her.**_ _That said, we would have been happy no matter where you had been put. We're glad that you're having fun and making friends._ _ **But maybe you could give James, Fred, and Louis another chance.**_ _Yeah. It wasn't nice, what they did, but that's just what boys do._ _ **So maybe just think about it, okay? They'll grow up as they get older.**_ _But don't just judge them based on that. Get to know them a little better first._ _ **Keep having fun, sweetie!**_

 _Love_

 _Mom_ _ **and Dad**_

Gloria sighed. Her parents were probably right. Maybe James and them did deserve another chance. She reached for the next letter.

 _Dear Gloria,_

 _This is Madalyne. We agreed-_ _no, you agreed-_ _that I would do most of the writing seeing as I have the best handwriting._ _ **But mine is still better than Eman's, at least.**_ _Don't listen to Amy. Or Madalyne. They don't know what they're talking about. My handwriting is better than both of theirs._ _It's cool that you got into Ravenclaw._ _And that you met James, Fred, and Louis. And Molly, I guess._ _**Are James, Fred, and Louis cute? I'll bet they're cute. James has a younger brother, right? I'll bet he's cute too.**_ _Yeah, yeah, so Amy thinks everybody's cute. What's up with Kelly and Shelby? I agree, they're probably bad news. Anyways, it's great that you're having fun. We can't wait to come to Hogwarts!_

 _Love,_

 _Madalyne_ _ **and Amy**_ _and Eman_

Gloria had to laugh at that one. Leave it to Amy to ask right away if they were cute. And of course Eman, trying to be best at everything. Finally, she grabbed the last letter.

 _Dear Gloria,_

 _Ah, so you've met the young Potter boy have you? I remember the first James Potter. I was in his year when I went to Hogwarts. And Sirius Black. The both of them were nothing but trouble. But sometimes even I had to laugh at their pranks. I remember hating them for the longest time. Strangely enough, it was because Sirius smacked my rear end and pushed me into the lake because he was pretending to be an airplane. His friends all laughed. I chased him up a tree, and then he dropped a textbook on my head. I attempted to throw it back at him, but it fell back and hit me again. But eventually, even I had to admit that they weren't that bad. And congratulations on making Ravenclaw. Your grandfather and I are both very proud. I'm glad that you're making friends. I'm sure they're very nice. I can't wait to hear from you again!_

 _Love,_

 _Grandma_

Gloria laughed slightly as she read that letter. The though of her Grandmother falling into the lake and throwing textbooks was a very amusing one. She set the letters aside and continued eating her breakfast.

* * *

On Wednesday morning, a single letter arrived for James. He looked at the handwriting on the envelope and knew right away that it was from Rose. He opened it.

 _Dear James,_

 _Hugo and me are both feeling much better now._ _ **Yup. Much better.**_ _Congratulations on making Gryffindor!_ _ **Yeah, Congratulations!**_ _I apologize in advance for all of Hugo's interruptions. Oh, and ha ha ha. I'll have you know that I don't enjoy homework, I just try on it and think it's important that you get it done._ _ **Homework. Pshh. Who needs it?**_ _Don't listen to Hugo, James. Get your homework done._

 _Love,_

 _Rose_ _ **and Hugo**_

 _P.S. You are NOT my favorite cousin. You are fourth, after Albus, Lily, and Dominique._

 _ **P.S Again** (He means_ _P.P.S.) **You're my second favorite, after Lily.**_

 _P.P.P.S. Mum and Dad say hi as well._

James looked up in horror. "I'm after Dominique?" He exclaimed. "I could understand Albus and Lily, but _Dominique_?"

Fred made a face as he read the letter he had received. "At least you made the list. All she said to me was, 'And about being my favorite cousin… no. Just no.'"

Louis shrugged. "She didn't even acknowledge my position in her favoritism. I'm just offended that Dom is before me."

"What about me?" A voice from behind them said. They all turned to see Dominique standing behind them.

"We're discussing the fact that you're Rosie's third favorite cousin, after Albus and Lily. James is fourth, and Fred didn't even make the list." Louis explained.

Dominique just raised an eyebrow. "I see…" she said, before turning and walking away muttering, "Oh brother."

The next morning at breakfast, James received two more letters. He read the one from his parents first.

 _Dear James,_

 _First of all, we wanted to say how proud of you your father and I are._ _ **Congratulations on making Gryffindor. We always knew you would.**_ _But, it was rude to laugh when that girl fell in the lake._ _ **Just so you know, your mother is only saying that because she would be a terrible mother if she didn't.**_ _I am not, I really mean it!_ _ **She's trying not to laugh herself as she's writing this.**_ _Just… next time make sure you help, even if you do laugh, okay? Even if your friends say it's okay, it's not. That Gloria was right to tell you not to laugh._ _ **And just so you know, you can go to breakfast early, even if it seems like no one else is awake.**_ _It's not the same without you here. Much quieter. We all miss you!_

 _Love you lots!_

 _Mum_ _ **and Dad**_

James smiled. He could easily imagine his mum laughing as she was telling him it was rude. Shaking his head, he grabbed the next letter.

 _Dear James,_

 _Yay! I'm so excited that you made it into Gryffindor! I hope I get into Gryffindor next year!_ _ **Yeah, Gryffindor is the best house. I hope when I go, I'll get Gryffindor.**_ _I'm glad the food is good. And it's pretty funny why Gloria doesn't like you. I probably would have laughed too. Mum tried to be mad, but she kept just laughing._ _ **Dad too.**_ _Yeah it was pretty funny._ _ **Is Kelly your girlfriend? You said she has pretty eyes.**_ _Yeah, Lily's been walking around wondering if you were dating this Kelly girl ALL DAY. It's annoying. Anyways, we miss you._

 _Your brother_ _ **and sister,**_

 _Albus_ _ **and Lily**_

James' eyes widened. Kelly? His girlfriend? That was just ridiculous! He looked over at her. She was laughing at something Shelby had said. She really was very pretty… he certainly wouldn't _mind_ dating her…

He shook his head slightly. He was being absurd. They were 11 years old, for Pete's sake! In his next letter, he would have to clear things up with Lily and tell her he had no interest in Kelly whatsoever. Whether it was the truth or not…

 **A/N: I'm super proud of myself for writing this chapter in one day. Actually, only a couple of hours. I know not a lot happened in it, but I really wanted to do the letters and stuff. Again, I really want to know what you guys think. About the characters, about the story in general, about anything. I just want some opinions! There may be more updates soon, because right now I'm in a Next Gen kick, and this is my only Next Gen story. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N: I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever. But life's just been getting in the way. Luckily, school is almost out, so I'll have plenty of time on my hands. Anyways, I'm sorry for the long wait. However, I did recently post a new oneshot called Advice From James Potter: Getting the Redhead of Your Dreams. I'm really proud of it, so maybe you would want to check it out? *hint hint wink wink* Anyways, here's the chapter, I hope you enjoy.**

Time passed quickly, in Gloria's opinion, and before she knew it, it was time for Christmas Break. She was sitting on the train with Lydia, Kimberly, and Joey, thinking of all that had happened over the past few months. James, Fred, and Louis hadn't done anything too terrible since the incident with Kimberly and the lake, but Gloria still wasn't very fond of them.

Lydia and Kimberly seemed to be okay with them, though, as did Joey. They didn't exactly like them, per say, but they weren't as opposed to them as she was. They had spoken on several occasions, but no one in their right mind would mistake them for friends.

They had gotten more homework than Gloria had expected, but she supposed she shouldn't really be surprised. She had heard Amber and Jackson talking about it over the summer. Luckily, most of it wasn't too difficult, and she had her friends to help her with it, so she was doing okay. She would have to say that her favorite class was Charms, but she wasn't so fond of Defense Against the Dark Arts. She just didn't get what was so great about it.

She looked around the train compartment they were in. Joey was drawing something, Kimberly was asleep, and Lydia was reading a book. Pretty much the same thing that usually happened, with the exception of Lydia. She did lots of things. Sometimes it was reading, sometimes she was sleeping too. There were lots of other things too, but Gloria didn't want to spend time thinking about it.

Kimberly yawned suddenly and stretched out. She opened her eyes sleepily. "Are we there yet?"

Gloria shook her head. "We only left two hours ago."

Kimberly groaned. "Aw, come on. It seems like it's been forever!"

Lydia looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. "Kimberly, you've been sleeping over half the time."

"When doesn't she sleep?" Joey asked, not looking up from his drawing.

Kimberly shrugged, yawning once more. "What can I say? Sleep is life. When I grow up, I'll find a job that will pay me to sleep till noon."

"Maybe you wouldn't be so tired all the time if you didn't stay up half the night." Gloria commented. "You know, just a crazy thought."

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Who put you in charge of my sleep habits?" She asked. "Besides, I only do that on weekends, vacations, and days when I have History of Magic. I can just sleep right through that class."

"Who can't?" Joey replied. "I do it too."

"You guys are lucky I take good notes." Lydia put in. "You guys would be failing everything without me."

Kimberly and Joey began protesting, but Gloria just shrugged and said, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Hey, look." Lydia said, motioning out the window. Gloria looked. James was passing by with Fred Louis, Shelby, and Kelly. Lydia waved at them as they walked by, and Fred waved back. James looked at them, then turned to Kelly. He said something to her, motioning towards them. Kelly looked around him and peered into the compartment at them, before looking back up at him and shaking her head, saying something as she walked away. Louis looked at them and shrugged before following them down the train.

* * *

James was walking down the train with the others, trying to find a new compartment after some fifth year had dropped a dung bomb right outside their previous one.

"Absolutely disgusting." Fred said. "And stupid, too. If you're going to drop dung bombs, do it in a way that you won't get caught."

"Look." Louis said. "It's Gloria and Lydia."

As they came to the door of their compartment, Lydia waved, and Fred waved back. James looked in. Kimberly and Joey were there as well. He turned to Kelly. "Do you think maybe we could sit with them?" He suggested, guesturing towards the compartment.

Kelly leaned over to look in at them, then shook her head. "No. Not with them." She began walking away.

James hurried after her. "Why not?" He demanded.

Kelly shrugged. "Because. Besides, it would be too crowded."

Shelby nodded. "Yeah." She agreed. "Nine people in a compartment would be too many.

James thought about it for a second. He supposed that was true. He hadn't really thought of that before. Kelly was right. It was a stupid idea to suggest sitting with them. Nine people in one compartment. Please.

They soon found a compartment towards the back of the train. The five of them all got in and sat down. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. James began thinking about all that had happened.

Gloria didn't seem very fond of him, still, though he couldn't imagine why. Since the issue with Kimberly and the lake, he hadn't given her any reason to dislike him. Not that he could think of, anyways.

His classes had all been going good, except for potions. He really just wasn't very good at it. He loved Defense Against the Dark Arts, though. It was his favorite class. The only thing he didn't like was the homework. He had gotten most of his homework done this year, except for that one potions essay he had cut a few inches short. He had played it off as an accident and had gotten away with only a warning. Shocking, seeing as Professor Stylig hated him.

Everyone was still quiet, so James said, "Can you believe half of our first year is already over?"

Fred nodded. "I know! It's already Christmas! How did that happen?"

"Before you know it, the year will be over." Kelly remarked.

The rest of the train ride passed fairly quickly, and before long, they were back at King's Cross Station. They all grabbed their stuff and got off the train, and then went through the barrier a few at a time.

Once James got through the platform, he stood up on his toes, looking for his parents. Suddenly, he heard a cry of, "James!" and barely had time to register what was happening before his mother rushed toward him and enveloped him in a hug.

"Mum!" He said, groaning as she planted a kiss on his forehead. "Not in front of my friends!"

She stood up straight again, smiling slightly. "I just missed you so much."

Suddenly, Lily ran up and hugged him. "James! You're back!" She cried.

James put an arm around her. "Hey Lils." He replied. Once Lily finally let go of him, he turned to his dad. "Hi Dad." He hugged him.

His father hugged him as well. "I missed you, James."

"I missed you, too." James whispered. He then turned to Albus. "Hey Al."

"Hey!" Albus said, grinning.

After everyone had finished greeting James, they headed home. In the car, Albus and Lily kept asking him a whole bunch of questions about Hogwarts, all of which he answered eagerly.

Once they got home and out of the car, they were greeted by the scent of baking chocolate chip cookies. James, Albus, and Lily looked up at their parents, who looked at each other in confusion. They took a few steps and opened the door to see Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, Rose, and Hugo. Hermione was baking cookies, Ron was stealing them, and Rose and Hugo were staring eagerly at the door.

When their eyes found James, they lit up, and the two yelled, "Surprise!" They started throwing in the air handfuls of confetti, which dissolved before it ever hit the ground. James guessed it was the work of Hermione.

Rose ran over and hugged James, followed closely by Hugo. "James! You're home!" Hugo cried.

"It was so different with you gone." Rose said. "To think, in less than a year that will be Al and me too."

James laughed. "It was a lot of fun."

"So…" Lily asked slyly, "how's your _girlfriend_?"

James could feel his face turning red. "I do not have a girlfriend." He said through gritted teeth.

Albus grinned. "Sure you do. You know, the one with the pretty eyes?" He taunted.

Rose smiled. "Yeah, that Kelly girl."

James shouted, "Kelly is not my girlfriend!" At this point the adults had gone into the kitchen to finish helping with the cookies.

Hugo and Lily laughed and began running in circles, chanting, "James and Kelly sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

James sighed. This was going to be a long break.

* * *

"Gloria!"

Gloria looked up from her book to see Amy sitting next to her on the couch. She sighed and put the book down. "What is it, Amy?"

Amy smiled. "You never answered my question."

Gloria thought for a minute. "What question?"

Amy sighed and giggled. "Is. James. Potter. Cute?"

Gloria groaned. "Oh, come on, Amy, I don't know! I mean, I guess he's not bad-looking, but I don't know if I would call him cute."

Amy giggled again. "Do you like him? If not, do you think he would be interested in dating me? Do you think Albus would be better?"

"Nope, I doubt it, and how the heck should I know?"

Amy frowned. "Why do you doubt it?" She asked.

"Because," Gloria explained, "you're younger, and at this age, that's weird. Plus, I think he already likes someone." Actually, the idea had just occured to her. But looking back on it, it made perfect sense. James had a crush on Kelly.

"Oh." Amy looked disappointed for about two seconds before she brightened up again. "I bet Albus would be better anyways."

Gloria rolled her eyes. "And if Albus won't date you?"

"I'd go for Fred or Louis, duh."

Gloria chuckled slightly. "If you say so." She said.

Amy looked thoughtful for a minute. She then gasped. "Oh! I have an idea!" She exclaimed. "You could date James, I could date Albus, Maddy could date Fred or Louis, and Eman… um… do you think Rose Weasley would be interested in dating him?"

Gloria groaned. "Oh, come on, Amy, I don't know!" And she only had one thought as Amy continued rattling off other dating combinations that might work. _This was going to be a long break._

* * *

"Come on, James. Just admit it! You like Kelly!" Albus insisted.

"I do not!" James denied.

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to!

"Do _not_!"

"He totally does." Lily added. "He said she had pretty eyes."

James had been home for a total of 57 minutes at this point, and him, Albus, Lily, Rose and Hugo were all eating cookies and debating whether or not he liked Kelly while the adults sat outside talking about boring adult stuff.

"It sure sounds like you do." Rose teased. "I bet you've already planned out your whole future together."

"I have _not_!" James argued through gritted teeth.

Hugo grinned. "Sure you haven't." He said.

Albus shook his head. "Nah, he probably got stuck trying to decide on a color for wedding decorations and stuff. Couldn't find one that didn't clash too badly with all the red hair."

At this, Lily, Rose, and Hugo began protesting. James laughed.

"There's lots of colors that go with red hair." Lily said defensively. "Like white, and black, and…" She would have continued listing off various colors that wouldn't clash with red hair, but Al interrupted.

"Who the heck ever heard of black wedding decorations?" He asked. "I mean, honestly, weddings are supposed to be joyful, and black isn't exactly the happiest color I can think of."

Lily glared at him. "Not the point, Albus. Besides, what's wrong with white?"

Albus rolled his eyes. "If everything was white, it would be so boring. Nothing bright or colorful. And don't even suggest brown or grey, because how dull would that be?"

The two of them continued bickering back and forth for a few minutes, before Rose chipped in, "I'm sure they could figure it out, all our parents did."

"Yeah, just one problem with that." Hugo commented. "Our parents are much smarter that James is."

" _OI!_ " James yelled, throwing a wadded up paper towel at Hugo's head, much to the amusement of the others. And James grinned as he realized that while he had been gone, nothing had changed at all.

 **A/N: So… there it was. The chapter. So, I'm not sure on the quality of this one, but I did my best and I** _ **think**_ **it's good. Anyways, here's a basic overview of how the rest of the story will be formatted:**

 **I'll do one more chapter over Christmas break. Then one more chapter of first year. Then I'll do one or two over summer, then one or two over the first half of second year. Then one or two over Christmas, and another one or two for the end of second year. Same thing as last summer for this summer, then the school year will also be the same. Another two or three chapters, and then fourth year will begin. That's when things will start picking up and I'll start posting more chapters per year. I don't have a set amount, so I guess we'll just have to see where the story takes us.**

 **Well, I think that's it. I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: I know, it's been forever since I updated. I apologize. Hopefully the next update will come sooner. Now, this chapter is all Gloria's POV, so next chapter will be all James POV. Not much else to say, so here's the chapter, hope you enjoy!**

"Oof!"

Gloria awoke to feel a heavy weight land on top of her. She groggily opened her eyes to see Madalyne sitting on top of her, grinning wildly. "Maddy, what do you want?" She asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Madalyne rolled her eyes. "What do you think I want? Gloria, it's Christmas Day!"

Gloria shot up suddenly, grinning. Of course! How had she forgotten? She quickly scrambled out of bed and rushed to the living room, followed closely by Madalyne. Amy and Eman were already sitting there. Gloria looked under the tree to see a large pile of presents.

Amy was bouncing around in her excitement. Not even 5 seconds after Gloria and Madalyne had gotten over to the tree, she yelled, "Mummy! Daddy! Hurry up!"

Gloria heard a laugh as her mother entered the room, carrying Josephine. Her father followed closely after. "Glory-bean, your hair." He said.

Gloria grabbed some of her hair and looked at it. The charm turning it black had worn off; it was now back to it's natural red color. She shrugged. "Just leave it for now."

Eman then blurted out, "Can we open our presents already?"

Their mother sighed. "Don't you want breakfast first? Your father is going to make pancakes."

The kids all exchanged a look. "Oh, _alright_." Eman agreed. "I _guess_ we can eat breakfast first."

They all hurried into the kitchen. Just a few seconds later, their father walked in carrying a large pile of steaming pancakes. Gloria grabbed three and ate them, then went for another. After that, she drained a glass of orange juice, and once they were all done, it was time to open presents.

"Me first!" Eman yelled. "Let me open mine first!"

"Okay." Their mother agreed. "You can go first."

Eman excitedly pulled a present from under the tree. He looked at it. "To: Eman. From: Madalyne." He turned it over in his hands slowly, trying to determine what it could be. "It's lumpy…" He muttered. "And feels… soft." Eman shrugged, before tearing the poorly wrapped wrapping paper.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Madalyne. "Why did you get me a towel?" He asked.

Gloria leaned over to see. It was indeed a towel; a blue towel that Gloria was positive normally sat on the top shelf in the bathroom closet. So that was where it had been…

Madalyne laughed. "Look inside the towel." She said, bouncing up and down slightly from where she sat.

Eman unfolded the towel, and inside it was two shiny black drumsticks. He gasped. He had been wanting to play drums for nearly three years.

"Madalyne, thank you!" He said, grinning wildly.

Madalyne smiled. "I thought you'd like it." She said. "You don't have drums yet, but…" she giggled, and was it Gloria's imagination, or did her, Amy, and their parents all smile at each other?

Madalyne continued, "I figured you could just hit random stuff with those instead of with hairbrushes like you usually do."

Eman grinned, and grabbed the next present. It was rectangular. "From Amy." He read. "A book, maybe?" He quickly tore open that one, too, revealing that it was a book. A percussion book.

"Cool!" He said. "Thanks, Amy. Now when I start playing I'll be ready. How weird." Suddenly a thought seemed to occur to him. "Did you two plan this?"

Amy and Madalyne grinned and laughed. "Maybe…" They said in unison.

"Before you open any more presents," their father said, "go look in the garage."

A very confused Eman stood up and walked over towards the garage, the rest of the family following close behind. "No way!" He exclaimed once they were there.

Gloria peeked around the others to see a drumset sitting in the garage. She realized they must have planned it while she had been at Hogwarts.

"Mom! Dad! Thank you so much!" Eman cried out joyfully.

After a few minutes, they went inside again, and Eman grabbed an envelope. "This one's from Josephine." He said.

Josephine squealed and clapped her hands as Eman opened the envelope to pull out a piece of paper that had been scribbled all over on. On the top, in their mother's handwriting, it said 'Merry Christmas.'

"Thanks Josephine." Eman said. He then reached under the tree and grabbed his last present. "And, of course, from Gloria."

Gloria watched as he looked it over. "Well… no clue what this could be." He said, turning the small box over in his hands.

Gloria smiled. "Just open it." She urged him.

Eman unwrapped it. "Wow!" He shouted. "It's chocolate!" He held up the chocolate frog container for all of them to see.

Gloria grinned. "I payed a third year to buy it for me at Honeydukes on the last Hogsmeade trip so I could give it to you." She explained. "I couldn't decide what else to get, so… I got you that."

"Thanks Gloria! I'll open it once we're done with presents. Then we'll see who I got."

"Me next." Amy said.

Their mother nodded and smiled. "Go ahead, Amy."

Amy grabbed her first present, which Gloria knew was from her before Amy even said anything. "So this one's from Gloria." She said. She opened it slowly, trying to cause the least possible amount of damage to the wrapping paper. Gloria would never understand that; it was going to get thrown away anyways.

"Ooh." Amy said, holding it up. "Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. Thanks, Gloria."

"Mine next. Open mine next!" Madalyne said, pushing another sloppily wrapped present into Amy's hands.

"Okay, Maddy. I'll open yours next." Amy said, laughing. She started carefully opening it. Once she had undwrapped it, she smiled. "Bubbles. Thanks, Maddy."

"Yup." Madalyne saide, grinning.

Next Amy grabbed the present from Eman. "Let's see…" she muttered. "What could Eman have gotten me?" She slowly opened it to reveal that it was a small snowglobe. Amy gasped. "It's beautiful!" She exclaimed in a whisper.

It was beautiful. Inside of it, there was a snowy meadow, and standing there, somehow, was every member of the May family.

Eman grinned. "It's for your snowglobe collection. I had it custom made for you- magically, of course. It's- well, it's kind of from Mum and Dad, too, because they had to help pay for most of it, but it was all my idea."

Amy smiled widely. "Thanks, Eman! I really love it!" She then grabbed the envelope from Josephine and opened it to reveal a nearly identicle drawing to thde one Eman had received. "Thanks, Josie."

Then she grabbed the last box from their parents. Once she opened it, they found that it was charm bracelet. "Ooh. Thank you Mum. Thanks, Dad."

Next was Madalyne's turn. "What could Amy have gotten me?" She wondered aloud as she grabbed the first present. After unwrapping it, she raised an eyebrow. "Oh! A pillow. How thoughtful."

"Not just any pillow." Amy said. "Look closer."

Madalyne leaned in until her whole face was almost buried in it, and then she gasped. "Wait! This is my favorite pillow! The one that I lost two years ago!"

Amy nodded. "I know. I found it in a tree. It had torn open, so I fixed it for you."

Madalyne laughed and grinned, before launching herself forwards and hugging Amy. "Thank you so much, Amy!"

She then opened Josie's envelope, hugged and thanked her, then grabbed Gloria's present, humming quietly to herself as she opened it. "Ooh! Fizzing Whizbees! My favorite! Thanks, Gloria!" She leaned forward and hugged Gloria as well.

Gloria grinned. Madalyne had always loved Fizzing Whizbees, so when Gloria was out shopping, that was what she had gotten for her. Plus, just buying candy was the easiest thing to do, in her opinion.

By then Madalyne had torn open her present from Eman. "Socks! Thank you so much, Eman! All of mine had holes in the bottom. And now I have…" she counted the socks, "eight pairs that don't!" She hugged Eman too, ignoring his protests, before moving on to her last present, from their parents.

"A flute!" She screamed. "Oh my gosh, it's a flute! Thank you so much!" She hugged both of their parents, then began bouncing around the room in her excitement.

Gloria giggled slightly. Madalyne had always wanted a flute, but their parents had never let her have one before, worrying that she would make too much noise.

Next, Josie opened her presents, with the help of the rest of the family. She ended up with a stuffed hippogriff from Gloria, a new pillow and blanket that Amy and madalyne had made, a teddy bear from Eman, and a stuffed unicorn from their parents.

Finally, it was Gloria's turn. She opened the envelope first, already knowing what it would contain, then picked up a rectangle shaped box from her parents. She opened it to discover a charms book. "Thanks, Mum. Thanks Dad. It's really great." She said, examining the front cover.

Her mom grinned. "It shows you how to do the spell on your hair somewhere in it. The spell might be a bit advanced for you, but when you are ready to learn it, it's there. Then you can do it yourself and I won't have to do it for you anymore."

Gloria smiled as she went on to the next present. It was from Madalyne, and it turned out to be a scarf, hat and gloves. After thanking Madalyne, she went on to the present from Amy.

She unwrapped it, and there was a small blue box inside. Curiously, she opened it to discover a jet of water in her face. She sat there for a second, shocked, unsure what to say. She closed the box, and then opened it again, only to be squirted in the face once again.

Amy, Eman, and Madalyne were laughing. "It's a squirt box." Amy explained. "Everytime you open it, water shoots out. It refills itself everytime you close it."

Gloria wiped the water off of her face and began laughing along with the others. "Nice." She said, impressed. "Thanks, Amy."

Last, she opened the present from Eman. It was a small mirror. Gloria thanked Eman, and then it was time for their parents to open their presents.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Gloria said, standing up and making her way over to the door. Once she opened it, she saw her Grandparents, Aunt Flora and Uncle Benjamin, Jackson, and Amber. Her grandfather was carrying several large packages. Once Gloria had greeted everyone, she led them inside.

A few moments later, her Grandpa set down the packages and her Grandma said, "Now, are you guys ready to open your presents?"

Gloria nodded eagerly, Amy, Eman, and Madalyne cheered, and Josephine clapped, screaming, "Pwesets, pwesits!" Their grandmother laughed. "Okay, then! Josephine first!"

Their grandpa lifted the first box up and gave it to their mom, who helped Josephine open it. It was a large stuffed dog. "Puppy!" Josie shrieked in delight. "Puppy, puppy!"

"Madalyne next."

Madalyne's present was carefully carried over to her with a warning to be gentle with it. Confused, Maddy opened it with care, and inside, there was a small cage containing a fluffy pink creature. "A pygmy puff!" She cried. "No way! Thank you so much!" She jumped up and hugged both of their grandparents. "I'm going to call him… Mannidredge! Manny for short."

Before anyone could comment on how strange it was to call him _Mannidredge_ , opf all things, Amy opened her present to reveal a tiny Tortoiseshell kitten. "Oh!" She exclaimed softly. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Girl." Their grandfather clarified.

"She's so sweet." Amy whispered. "What should I call her?"

"Call her Mannidrette." Madalyne suggested.

Amy shot her a look. "I'm not naming this precious little kitten _Mannidrette_."

"Dusk." Eman said. "Call her Dusk."

"Dusk." Amy said. "I like it." She smiled down at the kitten. "Hello, Dusk." Dusk meowed up at her in response.

As Amy picked up and played with her kitten, Eman began opening his present. Inside was an eagle owl.

Gloria began wondering how they had not heard all these animals before opening the presents. Her grandmother, seemingly sensing her confusion, explained, "We used charmed wrapping paper. Any noise on the inside can't be heard from the outside."

That caused Gloria to wonder what was in her present. She vaguely heard Eman declare that he was going to call his owl Bartholomew, and then her package was handed to her.

She slowly, carefully began unwrapping it, not wanting to disturb whatever was inside. Finally, she finished unwrapping it, and the last of the wrapping paper fell away to reveal a cage containing a Tawny Owl.

"Wow. She's beautiful." Gloria said. "But what should I call her?"

Suddenly Jackson emerged from the kitchen where he had been rummaging through the cabinets. "Hey, Aunt May, where are the crackers?" He asked.

The owl then flapped her wings against the side of the cage and making a hooting noise.

Gloria's mother stood up. "Crackers?" She began, "They should be-"

She was interrupted by the owl once again flapping her wings and hooting.

Everyone looked around at each other, until Madalyne said, "Crackers."

Again, the owl reacted. They said crackers a few more times, and every time she acted the same way.

Gloria laughed and stroked her owl's feathers. "Well, I guess she just named herself." She smiled. "Crackers."

Crackers flapped her wings one last time before calming down. The family all talked and laughed for a few minutes, when an owl flew in the window. Gloria recognized it as Lydia's. She took the package it was carrying and it flew out the window.

Gloria unwrapped the present to see a pair of boots inside, accompanied by a hastily scrawled _Merry Christmas Gloria_ in Lydia's handwriting.

"Oh, those are cute." Amy said as she looked at them.

"Yeah." Madalyne agreed. "They really are."

"They're shoes." Eman said. "What's so cute about them?"

As her siblings began discussing how shoes could be cute, Gloria realized that she had not yet opened the presents from Joey or Kimberly that had arrived the night before. She quietly excused herself and went to her bedroom, where the packages were waiting for her.

She decided to open Kimberly's first. She tore the wrapping paper, and inside there was a plain blue sweater. She tried it on, and it fit almost perfectly; it was just a small bit too large. Gloria supposed that was good, so that she could wear it for longer.

Then she turned to Joey's present. Inside of it was a small tin container. She opened it to see about 10 chocolate chip cookies inside. She took one out and bit into it. It tasted extremely good.

She grinned, and then walked back out to where everyone else was still sitting, trying not to think about all the thank you notes she'd have to write later once they opened presents from the rest of their relatives.

 **A/N: So, there it was. Not sure how good it was, but… I promise the plot will start to pick up soon! I know it's kind of boring now, but it does get better, I swear! Well, anyways, I hope you enjoyed,** _ **please**_ **review!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N: So, here's the next chapter. It came much quicker than last time, so I'm proud of myself. I'd have to say this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write so far, even if it's not that great. Anyways, here's the chapter, hope you enjoy!**

"Albus, this one's for you!" James's mom called from across the room, where she sat distributing presents to the rest of the Potter family.

As the package was handed across the room to where Albus sat, James sat and stroked the feathers of the barn owl he had received earlier that morning. He had named her Felicity after drawing several names out of a hat.

Albus began opening his present, and their mother picked up a very long present. She looked at the name tag on it. "James, this one is yours!"

After a few seconds of passing the gift from person to person, it reached James. He tore off the wrapping paper, and inside was a cardboard box. It was taped shut.

"Hey, Lil, can you pass me the scissors?" He asked.

Lily nodded and handed them to him, not even looking up from her coloring book that she had just opened. James took the scissors and cut the tape. Once he got it open, he screamed, " _No way_!"

The box contained a broom; a Firebolt Supreme, to be specific. Albus and Lily both rushed over to him to see.

"Ooh." Lily said. "It's so pretty!"

"Woah!" Al exclaimed. "That's awesome!"

Their mother gave their father an exasperated look. "You got him a new broom?" She asked.

Their dad shrugged. "Yeah. He's going to need a good one if he makes the team next year. I figured it was just easiest to get him one now."

Their mom pursed her lips but didn't reply, and the opening of presents contiued after a few more minutes of excitement over James's new broom. About twenty minutes later, they had finally finished opening all the presents.

"Okay, hurry up! It's time to head to the Burrow, we're going to be late!" Their mom yelled, trying to be heard over the sounds of various toys that her children had received.

"Lily, don't forget your gloves. Al, your coat is on the chair, where you left it. James, put down the broom and get over here."

James sighed, setting his new Firebolt Supreme down. He gazed longingly at it once more before turning away and walking over to where his mother and father were waiting by the fireplace.

"We're going to be flooing. Hurry up and maybe we can get there before it gets too crowded." Their dad announced. "Your mother will go first, then you three will follow. I'll go after you. Got it?"

After another few minutes of waiting and then actually flooing, the whole Potter family had safely arrived at the Burrow. Grandmum Weasley hurried over to them all and hugged them each in turn. "Oh, good you've all arrived safely!" She exclaimed. "Here, everyone is just in the next room."

James and the rest of his family followed her into the living room, where everyone who had arrived was sitting. So far, there was Aunt Fleur, Uncle Bill, Victoire, Dominique, Louis, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose, and Hugo. After another few minutes of everyone greeting each other, things settled down a bit. That is, until Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey arrived with Molly and Lucy. Then the whole cycle just started again, and when things finally looked calm, Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, Fred and Roxanne walked in.

Finally, at last, everyone had gotten settled down, and conversations started beginning all around the room. James got into a conversation with Victoire, Dominique, Fred, Lily, Bill and Hermione about Hogwarts.

"Well, the work has been a bit more demanding, but I'm just grateful I don't have to go through O.W.L.s again." Victoire shuddered. "That was horrible."

Dom snorted. "Yeah, but you still have to do N.E.W.T.s next year." She said.

Victoire glared at her. "You're laughing now, but you just wait. You still have to O.W.L.s _and_ N.E.W.T.s." She shot back.

Hermione smiled slightly. "So, what's new at Hogwarts with you, Dominique?"

Dom frowned slightly. "Tom Brenderr asked me out." She said.

"Did you say yes?" Lily asked curiously.

Dominique was horrified. "Why would I say yes?" She gasped. "Tom Brenderr is terrible! He's an absolute slob, and I would sooner date a blast-ended skrewt than him!"

Hermione cleared her throat uncomfortably, then turned to James and Fred. "So what about you two? Have you been enjoying Hogwarts so far?"

James and Fred both nodded. "Yeah." Fred said. "It's pretty great."

"It is." James agreed. "So far, the Gryffindor quidditch team is doing great. I think we might be able to win the Quidditch Cup this year, if Hufflepuff can beat Ravenclaw."

"I don't think we're gettig the house cup this year, though." Fred told them all. "Slytherin's got a pretty good lead on us. We might get second, though."

"Have you made friends yet?" Bill asked. "I bet there's loads of people who want to hang out with you guys."

"We've been hanging out with a couple of first year Gryffindor girls." Fred shrugged.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." James added. Lily snickered and he shot her a glare.

"So, anything else new?" Bill asked, not looking like he was expecting much.

Fred shook his head, and James shrugged. "Not really." He said.

Lily snorted. "Oh, there's _something_ new…" she muttered.

Victoire and Dominique looked at her curiously, as did Fred. Victoire was the one who finally spoke up. "What's the something, Lil?"

Lily grinned slyly. James shot her a warning look. "Lily…" he began, having a bad feeling that he knew where she was going with this.

Lily stood up, cleared her throat, then spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "James has a girlfriend!"

The rest of the Potter family laughed and rolled their eyes, having heard all about this already, as did Hermione, Ron, Rose, and Hugo. The rest of the family acted quite differently. Victoire, Roxy, Molly, and Lucy all gasped, Fred and Louis looked shocked and a bit upset that they had ot been informed of this, Dominique shreiked, "James _what_?" and the rest of the family just looked extremely suprised.

For a split second, everything was silent. Then the door opened, and Teddy walked in. He took one look around at the faces of everyone and, confused, asked, "What did I miss?"

Victoire was the first to find her voice. "I believe Lily was just about to tell us about James's girlfriend."

Teddy's jaw dropped and then he began to laugh slightly, in a shocked, disbelieving manner. " _James_ has a _girlfriend_?"

James gritted his teeth. "I do _not_ have a girlfriend." He told them all.

Lily spoke again. "He said she has pretty eyes."

The younger members of the Weasley and Potter families all said, "Oooh!" The older ones merely appeared to look curious and amused.

"Who is it?" Dominique asked. "Who's James's girlfriend?"

"She is not my girlfriend!" James insisted, although nobody seemed to be paying much attention to him. They were all looking to Lily to reveal who his mystery girlfriend was.

"Come on, Lily." Victoire pressed. "Tell us who it is!"

"Yeah, go on, Lily." Fred said.

Lily looked thoughtful for a second, before deciding, "You know, being the good little sister I am, I'm not gobg to tell you all who it is. Everyone began groaning and shouting their protests, until Lily held up a finger. "But," she started, grinning evilly, "I will give you a clue."

"Guys, I'm telling you, she has no clue what she's talking about! I do not have a girlfriend!"

Once again, James was ignored. His whole family listened eagerly to hear Lily say, "Her initials are K. Y., and it rhymes with _jelly giverst_."

James's cousins each took about 2 seconds to process that. Fred and Louis stared at James in shock. "You're dating _Kelly_?" Fred yelled.

"Yeah! Like seriously! What the heck, James? Why did we not know about this?" Louis added.

"I would have told you if _I_ was dating Kelly!"

"Yeah! Or Shelby, I guess. or anyone really!"

"Guys, you don't understand, I'm not-"

"Why would you tell _Lily_ before us?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, we deserved to know first!" Louis agreed.

By that point nearly everyone in the family had decided they needed to say something on the matter of James and his new 'girlfriend.'

"I just can't-"

"This is so exciting!"

"Guys would you just-"

"I never thought that-"

"He's only _eleven_ , for-"

"James, you're too young for-"

" _Hold it!_ " Dominique stood up and shouted over everyone else who was trying to talk all at once. They all stared at her as she put her hands on her hips. "What _I_ find hard to believe is that James, _who is only a first year, might I remind you_ , is dating someone, and I am not. And neither is Vic. Now will someone please explain to me how that is okay?"

Everyone continued staring at her for a second, then turned to James, looking for an explanation. "Okay, guys, I am _not_ dating Kelly, okay? All I said was that she has pretty eyes, which I _only_ said because her eyes happen to be my favoriteshade of blue. That is the _only_ reason! Seriously, the _only_ one! No other reasons! None!"

Rose looked at him skeptically. "Uh-huh." She said. "Then why so much emphasis on that being the _only_ reason? There was no need to say it more than once… unless there _is_ another reason that you just don't want us to know about?"

Once again, James was left to think of an explanation. He was running out of ideas, so when one finally did come to him, he decided to just use it and hope that it wouldn't fall apart (which he knew it would, but it would buy him some time to think of something better).

"I couldn't be dating Kelly, because I'm dating someone else." He announced, waiting to see their reactions.

It took Fred approximately 5 seconds to jump to conclusions, and Louis another 3 seconds to agree with him.

"Oh my gosh, James, are you dating Gloria?" Fred asked horrified.

Louis gasped. "Gloria? Why would you date _Gloria_?"

"I'd rather you date Kelly than Gloria!" Fred declared.

"Yeah, please James, date Kelly instead! Just not Gloria! _Anyone_ but Gloria!" Louis pleaded. "Gloria would make a horrible girlfriend! She's so irritating and would let you have any fun1"

"I actually happen to think Gloria is quite nice." Molly put in, trying to be helpful.

"Gloria?" Hugo said, thinking. "Didn't you guys push her friend in the lake or something?"

"No, Hugo." Lily sighed, exasperated. "I've told you, they didn't push her in the lake, they laughed when someone else did.

"I still think it's not right." Dominique said, trying to be heard over all the arguing in the room.

"You could've dated anyone in the school. Heck, there's probably fifth years that would date you!" Fred frowned. "And you go for Gloria?"

Louis shook his head in disapproval. "Bad move, mate. You'll regretthat for the rest of your life."

" _Wait_!" James shouted. Once it was quite enough for him to be heard, he asked, "Why would you think I was dating _Gloria_ , of all people?"

Fred blinked, suprised, and Louis said, "You're not?"

James shook his head, still waiting for one of the two to give him a reason.

"Oh. Wow." Fred smiled sheepishly. "Well, I mean, I guess I just though- I mean, you two hate each other, and usually, when people hate each other, well… they start dating, and… yeah…" he trailed off, seeming to realize what a stupid reason that was.

Everyone was quiet for a minute, before Lucy asked, "Who are you dating, then?"

"Must be Kelly." Lily shrugged. "He just said it was someone else to throw us off the trail. If we don't keep a close watch on them, before we know it they'll have run off to France and eloped, because our parents don't approve."

Roxy laughed. "What so are they engaged or something?"

Lily nodded. "I think so." She said seriously. "If not yet, then within a couple months. But obviously, all the adults will tell them eleven is too young to get married, so they'll run off where there will be no one to stop them."

James slapped his forehead. "Lily, I'm not egaged, you don't have to worry about me eloping."

Lily looked relieved. "That's good. I bet Victoire and Teddy would be pretty upset if you got married before they did."

Victoire fell out of her chair and Teddy spit out all of the water he had just drank.

"Wh-what?" Victoire said. "N-no! We're not-"

"Yeah." Teddy agreed. "We're not- just- no!"

Lily smirked. "All I said was that you two would get married. I never said anything about it being to each other."

"No, but you _implied_ it!"

James grinned, glad that the conversation was no longer focused on him, and listened to Lily arguing with Teddy and Victoire over what she really meant when she said that.

Everyone continued making fun of each other, laughing, and basically just having a good time until the food was done. Then, the whole family piled into the kitchen and tried to find a seat. James found himself sitting between Victoire and Louis, with Rose and Albus across from him.

Just when James was about to start on his second helping of potatoes, he felt something hit him just above his left eyebrow. He looked down at the table to see a small grape sitting there. He looked around, but didn't see anything suspicious, so he just shrugged it off and continued eating.

Only a few seconds later, it happened again, this time hitting him on the cheek. He glared around, but no one else seemed to be aware of what was going on. Slightly annoyed, he went back to his food and ate a bite of ham.

This time, it seemed like whoever was throwing grapes at him had had enough. For a few minutes, at least, because eventually another grape hit him in the face, followed directly afterwards by another. James put down his fork and glared around the table. If even one more grape was thrown at him…

Suddenly, he saw a grape flying at him, but he couldn't tell who had thrown it. However, this one went a bit short and hit Victoire instead.

Vic gasped and picked up the grape. "Who threw this?" She demanded, staring down everyone at the table, waiting for someone to crack. And before long, she got what she wanted, as Lily, Hugo, and Lucy burst out laughing, obviously unable to contain it any longer.

Vic gave them all _a look_. "Don't let it happen again." She warned them. They all nodded, still laughing. The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, unless you count Roxanne spiling gravy on Bill's lap, Fred and Louis putting potatoes in each other's hair, and Dominique freaking out because she caught Hugo, Lily, and Lucy throwing grapes at her. Soon, it was time for the Potter family to go home.

At the Potter house, they sat up until around 11:00 P.M., when James's mom announced it was time for bed. "Hey, James, come here before you go to bed." His dad said.

"Okay?" James said. His dad led him up to his office, where he closed the door and sat down, looking James in the eye.

"Okay, James, I'm about to give you something, and I need you to promise me you'll be responsible with it." He said.

"Um, okay?" James agreed uncertainly. Why hadn't his dad just given him whatever it was with the rest of his presents?

"I would have given it to you earlier today, but I don't think you're mother would approve. But I got this for my first Christmas after starting Hogwarts, so I thought it was only right for me to give it to you today." He explained, before pulling it out and handing it to James.

James stared at it with wide eyes. It couldn't be… "Is this…?"

James's father nodded. "My invisibility cloak. I believe that you are responsible to have it, and as the oldest, you had the right to have it before Al or Lily."

James grinned up at his father, still barely believing that this could be true. "Are you serious? You're giving it to me?"

His dad smiled back at him. "I sure am. It's yours now." He stood up, ruffling James's hair as the two of them walked out of the room together. "Use it well."

 **A/N: Okay, guys, here's the deal. This story has 465 views, 6 followers, and 3 favorites, but only 2 reviews! What's up with that? Come on peoples, I know you're out there! And it's always nice to get a new follower, or have somebody else favorite my story, but it really always makes my day to get a review. Everything from just a simple "It's good." to an "AHH I LOVE IT!" Just review and I'll be happy! Anyways, now that that's out of the way… so James has the invisibility cloak now. Think he'll be responsible with it? Anyways, hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N: So, sorry for the long gap between updates. This chapter would have taken much longer if I hadn't received another review. I had no motivation to write this, then that one little review motivated me! So thank you reviewers! All of you! I don't know if this is the best chapter in the world, but I will let you know that it is the last chapter of first year. Next chapter will either be the train ride home or summer vacation. I haven't quite decided yet. But that's not important right now, what's important is that the chapter is here! Hope you enjoy!**

"What are you doing?" Gloria asked, staring at James.

He gave her an annoyed look. "I'm stirring the potion. Obviously."

Gloria was about ready to rip her hair out. It was the middle of March, and they were attempting to make a Forgetfullness Potion. Unfortunately, Gloria had gotten stuck working with James, who was absolute rubbish at potions.

"You idiot!" She hissed. "The directions say counter-clockwise, _not_ clockwise!"

James glared at her. "I'm not _stupid_ , Gloria. The directions clearly say- oh." He had pointed at the directions and realized it did, in fact, say counter-clockwise." "My bad. Um… maybe it's not too late to fix it?"

Suddenly, the potion started turning from the deep maroon it had been to a nasty brown the color of mud. "Or not." James decided.

Gloria gave him a look of disbelief. Did he not care that he had just ruined the potion? She finally understood why nobody wanted to be his partner.

James ran a hand through his hair. "Um… clearly I did not inherit my grandmother's potions ability." He muttered. "Well, maybe if we quickly started stirring it counter-clockwise, only we did it twice as many times to undo the effect of stirring it clockwise?"

Gloria wanted to protest, but she really didn't have any better ideas. "That could work, I suppose…" she agreed reluctantly.

James shrugged and started quickly stirring it counter-clockwise, probably much faster than was necessary. And of course, Professor Stylig chose that moment to walk by. She took one look at their potion and then stared at James and Gloria disapprovingly.

"What is this?" She demanded.

Gloria was going to apologize to her, but James beat her to it. "Our potion."

"This is an absolute disaster! 15 points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter, for your inability to follow directions, and 10 points from Ravenclaw, Ms. May, for not correcting his mistake before it was too late." Stylig told them angrily.

James was indignant. "Who said it was my fault?" He asked. Stylig didn't answer, she just walked off to examine the next potion.

"It's always your fault." Gloria replied angrily. It just wasn't fair. It wasn't her fault James couldn't follow simple directions without messing it up.

James glared at her as he continued stirring the potion faster and faster, until-

 _ **BANG!**_

The potion exploded. Stylig came back to yell at them and take away even more points as Gloria glared at James. Soon the class was over and she gathered up her stuff and left the room, still in a bad mood. Luckily, she had a free period next, so she would have some time to cool down before she had to go to class again.

Lydia, Kimberly, and Joey caught up with her. "Maybe we should get some of our homework done." Kimberly suggested.

Gloria had to agree that that was a smart idea, as they had gotten homework in Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology, but she really just wanted to go outside.

Lydia seemed to agree. "We can do our homework later this afternoon. For now, let's go outside. It's such a beautiful day."

Kimberly shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, let's do that."

As they were heading out, Gloria complained about James. "I mean, honestly! It was right there! Is he blind or something?"

Lydia looked at her sympathetically. "Don't worry, Gloria. It wasn't your fault. Even Stylig could tell that James was the one who messed it up."

"I bet she wouldn't have taken points from you at all if she could get away with it without looking bad." Joey added.

They found a tree and sat down under it. Kimberly began playing with Gloria's hair. "I love your hair, Gloria." She said wistfully. "It's so soft and silky. And it's such a pretty color."

Gloria turned around. "It's not actually black." She said. "I have my Mum charm it so it's the same color that my grandmother's was when she was my age."

"Really?" Kimberly asked "What color is it actually?"

"Red." Gloria told her. "It's actually red."

"Oh." Kimberly said. "I bet it's just as pretty red as it is black."

"Can you guys believe that we only have three months left until summer?" Joey commented, playing with a blade of grass.

"It's gone so fast!" Lydia exclaimed, rolling onto her back and staring at the sky.

"Next year we'll be allowed to join the Quidditch team." Gloria said. Jackson had made it on the Hufflepuff team as Keeper, but Amber hadn't made it. "Do you guys think you'll try out?"

Lydia shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, I love Quidditch as much as anyone else, but I don't really want to play on the house team." She explained. "You know, because everyone here takes Quidditch so seriously, and I would always feel like if I messed up the whole house would hate me, and it would just take the fun out of it for me."

Gloria nodded. She supposed that made sense. "I'm going to try out as a Beater." She told them. "That's the position my grandmother played when she went to Hogwarts, and it's always been my favorite."

"I'm not sure." Joey said. "It would be fun, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to make it. If I did though, I would probably try for Chaser."

"You should do it." Kimberly encouraged. "You'll never know if you don't try. Personally, I would probably try for Chaser or Keeper."

They continued discussing Quidditch for a few more minutes, until one by one they all reluctantly agreed that they should start on their homework.

The four of them walked to the library and sat doing their homework in silence for a few minutes. Gloria was attempting to work on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay, but it wasn't going so well.

"Can one of you help me with this?" She asked. "I've put everything that I can think of, but I'm still 4 inches short."

Kimberly grabbed it and skimmed over it quickly, before setting it down and thinking for a few minutes. She handed a book to Gloria. "Here, you might find page 67 useful."

Gloria thanked her as she opened to the page, and then she sighed. Once she finished this, she still had a Transfiguration essay to write and half of a Herbology essay. She still had a long way to go.

* * *

"And do you know what she did then? She acted like it was all my fault! Maybe if she had been doing what she was supposed to, she could have helped me. Then I wouldn't have gotten lost and stirred the potion the wrong way. Even Stylig jumped to conclusions, and just automatically assumed that the whole mess was entirely my fault! Just because I've accidentally blown up one or two potions this year!"

James was fuming. Him, Louis, and Fred were all visiting with Hagrid, as they had done on several occasions throughout the year, and he had just finished ranting about the incident in Potions.

Hagrid listened for a few minutes, but soon he had to prepare for his next class to teach and sent the three boys off with a pocketful of rock cakes.

"So what should we do now?" Louis asked as they walked towards the school. "We still have a little while before Herbology."

"We could always go find _Kelly_." Fred said, smirking at James.

James glared at him, but didn't say anything about it. Instead he said, "I dunno, by the time we get back to the common room to dispose of these rock cakes and get our stuff, we'd be cutting it pretty close if we didn't head straight down to the greenhouses. I don't think we really have much time to do anything."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Fred agreed.

The three went up to the common room, and made their way to their dormitory, where they threw the rock cakes into a bin, and grabbed their supplies for Herbology.

Once they got down to the Common room again, they found Kelly and Shelby just about to leave.

"Oh, hey." Kelly greeted as they all made their way out and down to the greenhouses. "Where have you guys been since potions ended?"

"Down talking to Hagrid." Fred told her.

"Oh, that sounds fun." Shelby said.

"Mainly we just listened to James complain about Gloria the whole time." Fred told them.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, that was really terrible. I cannot believe that Stylig thought it was your fault. I mean, even from the other side of the room it was obvious what happened."

"Thank you!" James exclaimed.

Kelly continued, "I mean, Gloria should have been helping you make the potion rather than just sitting there reading the textbook."

They continued talking about Gloria and the potions incident for a few more seconds until they got to the greenhouses, where they sat through a lesson on Devil's snare.

Before long, they had finished their lessons for the day. "Well, what to do now?" James said.

"Homework maybe?" Shelby suggested.

James shook his head. "Nah. We can do homework in the common room later tonight. For now let's do something fun."

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Fred asked.

James thought for a second. "We could always… um… we could plan a prank. Against our dorm mates."

"What kind of prank?" Kelly asked curiously.

James shrugged. "I dunno, something simple but fun. Like, while they're asleep we could do something."

Kelly frowned. "I dunno. Maybe later. Like, we could brainstorm ideas then in the common room tonight once we've finished our homework we could figure something out."

"Oh." James was a bit disappointed, but supposed it was a good idea. "Well, what could we do instead?"

"Let's go throw rocks into the lake." Fred said. "See who can make the biggest splash."

They all agreed that that seemed like it could be fun, so they headed down to the lake. However, when they got there, they saw that there was already someone there; Gloria.

She was sitting there with Lydia, Kimberly, and Joey. James narrowed his eyes at her as they continued walking towards them. After a few moments they seemed to hear the five coming, because they turned around to look at them.

Gloria stood up and stared at James. "You ready to apologize?" She asked him, putting one of her hands on her hip.

James laughed as he took another step towards her. "Me? Apologize? Now, Gloria. What would _I_ need to apologize for?"

She gave him a look of disbelief. "Uh, maybe for ruining our potion earlier?"

James laughed again, taking yet another step closer. "Gloria, whatever are you talking about? I think we can all agree that I wasn't the only one who played a part in ruining the potion."

Gloria's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

James rolled his eyes. "We all know that you weren't paying the slightest bit of attention to the potion. Just sat there reading the instructions, but not actually helping."

Now it was Gloria's turn to laugh. A soft, humorless laugh. "If I hadn't been reading the instructions, you would have just been throwing random ingredients into that cauldron, because Merlin knows you weren't going to open a textbook ad read them yourself."

James continued speaking as if she never had. "I bet you just thought, 'oh, I'll let James handle this while I read the instructions. That way when he messes it up, I can blame it all on him.'"

Gloria looked taken aback. "For your information, I helped plenty with that potion."

James raised an eyebrow, silently telling Gloria to continue. Apparently she got the message because she did.

"Who was it who measured out all the ingredients? Who was it who chopped the ingredients that needed to be chopped? Who told you what ingredients to put in and in what order? I asked you to check the textbook and see how to stir the potion, the do what it said, because I thought you could be trusted with something as simple as that! But apparently I was wrong!"

For the next couple seconds James and Gloria just stood there glaring at each other, neither willing to be the first to look away. Their friends all just stood behind them, unsure what to do.

Finally, Gloria said softly, "You're not worth it." before walking past James and heading with her friends back to the castle.

 **A/N: So, there it was. Probably wasn't very good, but I did my best. As I said in the first A/N of this chapter, this was the final chapter of first year. Sorry that you didn't get to hear about James's adventures with the cloak, but I couldn't find a way to fit it i to this chapter. I will let you know that the first day back from break he snuck out with it along with Fred and Louis and just wondered around the castle. I promise you'll get to see it all in action is the second year and on. That's really all I have to say right now, so… hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N: So I think it's probably safe to say that this chapter was posted within a decent amount of time. This chapter will be all James POV, and so, you guessed it, next one will be all Gloria POV. I wrote it in just a couple of hours, but I still think this chapter is pretty darn good. Maybe it's just me though. I dunno, maybe you could leave a review and tell me. *wink wink* But yes, I think I worked pretty efficiently on this chapter. Here it is, hope you enjoy!**

 _Dear Kelly,_

 _I've really missed you too._

No, no, no! That was terrible. James sighed as he crumpled up the beginning of his letter and tried to start again.

A month into summer break, James was sitting in his room trying to write a letter to Kelly. Though they had both promised to write to each other, James had been very busy, and apparently so had Kelly, because the first letter exchanged between the two had come from Kelly just the day before. And James had been sitting here for an hour trying to reply.

 _Dear Kelly,_

 _I'm glad you wrote._

Nope.

 _Dear Kelly,_

 _It was nice to get your letter and be able to get away from all the craziness here at home. Everyone is completely insane! The other day Dominique tried to kill me because I dumped a bit of ink in her hair! Like, literally tried to kill me. If Vic hadn't been there, I would not be alive right now to write this letter._

 _Speaking of Vic, her and Teddy have been acting really weird lately. Like, they'll always be gone at exactly the same time. I have no clue what is up with those two, but I'm worried they might be planning a huge prank on the rest of the family. I'll be keeping my eye out and let you know what happens. If they try anything, it_ _will_ _mean war._

 _By the way, sorry for not writing sooner. I've been super busy. We keep having to go have family dinners at the burrow and stuff. It's pretty fun, though. Except for the fact that Lily, Hugo, and Lucy refuse to give up on seeing who can hit people with grapes the most. They never go for the adults, though. Apparently they have a point system with it, so the people with higher point values are at a bigger risk. I'm not sure, but I think I'm worth a little over a hundred points, so I'm one of the main targets. It's really annoying; I'll just be eating my mashed potatoes, then all of a sudden a grape is smacking me in the face! If they don't cut it out soon I might not be able resist the temptation to dump the gravy on their heads._

 _Still, I've had a pretty good holiday so far. Al and Rose have been pestering me, Fred, Louis, and Molly with all sorts of questions about Hogwarts. Mainly just me though, since they see me most often. I don't mind too much, though, I suppose. I did the same thing to Vic and Dom whenever I saw them before I started Hogwarts. Plus, when they asked what kinds of stuff I did and learned, it gives me an excuse to talk about myself, ha ha._

 _Other than that, my summer has been pretty boring. I'm super excited that we'll be able to try out for the quidditch team this year! I think I'm probably going to try out for chaser. Do you think that you'll try out for the quidditch team? Anyways, I really don't have that much more to say, so just write back whenever you can._

 _Your friend,_

 _James_

Finally satisfied with what he had written, James skimmed over it once before sending it off. Once he had taken care of that, he headed to the living room. He saw Lily sitting there on the couch coloring a picture, and his dad was sitting there watching as his mum played a game of wizards chess against Al.

A few hours later found them sitting at the Burrow with everyone else in their family. As was the usual as of late, Al and Rose were sitting next to James, Fred, and Louis asking them questions of every sort about Hogwarts.

"Which class is the most difficult?" Albus asked nervously.

"Potions." James replied immediately.

"Potions is pretty hard, but don't forget about Charms." Fred said. "It can be a bit difficult at times."

"I agree that Potions is the worst." Louis nodded.

"Is there a lot of homework?" Rose asked.

"Yes." The three boys answered simultaneously.

"It just gets worse as you go." Victoire said from a few feet away. "Believe me, I know. I'm gonna have to take N.E.W.T.s this year."

"And I have to do O.W.L.s." Dominique groaned. "It's going to be awful."

"Yup." Teddy agreed. "O.W.L.s are awful. But N.E.W.T.s are worse."

"Is it true that the older students are allowed to practice spells on the younger students?" Albus asked.

"Yup." James replied. "Didn't I ever tell you about the time that someone used me to practice Vanishing? It took _ages_ to get my face back to normal."

Molly gave him a look. "No, Albus, of course it's not allowed." She said. "Who told you that?"

Albus shrugged. "Louis did, but Fred confirmed it."

Molly gave them another look, but Albus had already started talking again. "Maybe whatever house I'm in will win the house cup!" He said.

"Only if you're in Gryffindor. We're gonna win it this year!" James said.

Molly rolled her eyes at him. "Gryffindor would have beat Ravenclaw if you three hadn't been sneaking around in the middle of the night."

"Correction:" Fred began, "Gryffindor would have beat Ravenclaw if we hadn't been caught. So next time, we won't get caught."

"What house do you think I'll be in?" Rose asked them eagerly.

"You'll be a Gryffindor. Or a Ravenclaw." Fred told her.

James smirked. "Maybe Al will be in Slytherin."

Albus's eyes widened. "No! I won't be a Slytherin! I won't! Don't you think I could be in Gryffindor?"

James grinned. "Nope. Bet you'll be in Slytherin."

"No!"

"Yup."

"No!"

"Yup."

"No!"

"Yup."

" _No_!"

"That's enough, you two!" Their mother snapped. The two boys instantly quieted down.

"Don't worry, Al. You'll probably be a Gryffindor." Lily assured him.

"Hey, Lucy." Hugo interrupted, motioning to a piece of paper in front of him. "You added this wrong. James is only worth 125 points, not 150. Vic is 150, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Lucy said, frowning at the paper. "That means I would have 11,740, not 11,765… which means… that puts you in the lead with 11,760, Lily is in second with 11,755… that puts me in last!"

"Don't worry, Lucy." Lily grinned. "Soon I'll be in first. Then you just have to beat Hugo and you can take second place."

"Oh, enough with your stupid grape contest." Dominique said. "Where are you getting all the grapes for it anyways?"

"Teddy's getting them for us." Hugo said, checking to make sure they had added correctly.

All eyes turned to stare accusingly at Teddy, who held up his hands in surrendor. "Sorry, but we made a deal." He said. "They agreed to take me off the target list if I would give them the grapes. I was worth 200 points, I was willing to do just about anything to get off."

Dominique was horrified. "But- but Teddy! You were the only person worth more points than me! That makes _me_ the number one target!"

Teddy shrugged apologetically. "Sorry Dom, but if I had one more grape hit me in the eye I was going to go insane."

"Who says _I'm_ not going to go insane?" She screeched.

Teddy shrugged again. "Better you than me."

They continued arguing for a bit before conversation turned back to Hogwarts. "If you're sorted into Ravenclaw, Rosie, stay away from Gloria." James advised. "She's bad news. She's always walking around like she's so amazing, and trying to tell us what to do- it's enough to drive anyone mad!"

"Honestly, guys, she isn't that bad!" Molly disagreed. "Though I wouldn't doubt that she's telling the exact same thing to her siblings about you lot."

"Oh yeah." James frowned. "If the siblings are anything like her, you might want to stay away from them too."

"Come on, James. Don't be like that." Vic said. "For all you know, her siblings are great people."

"Maybe. But not if they're like her." James stated stubbornly.

"Hey, James, how's your girlfriend?" Roxy piped up from across the room.

James gritted his teeth. "For the last time, Kelly is _not_ my girlfriend!"

As usual when somebody inquired about Kelly, it was Lily who answered. "He wrote her a litter this morning. It must have been a long one too, he was writing it for a long time."

"Are you going to ask her out James?" Lucy asked.

"I would hope not." James's mum said. "He's too young to have a girlfriend."

"I agree." Grandmum Weasley said.

James was about ready to scream. "It doesn't matter because I wouldn't ask her out anyways!"

Of course, James was ignored. "Where would they go if he did ask her?" Hugo asked. "They can't go to Hogsmeade until third year."

"They would go on romantic walks around the lake by moonlight." Lily suggested. At her mothers look, she amended it to, "Or by the sunlight. You know, so they weren't out after hours." Then under her breath she muttered, "As if he doesn't wonder around at night anyways, just like Dad did."

They continued on like that for awhile; the family saying something, James arguing, James being ignored, and then the whole cycle would repeat. After awhile, James noticed that two of their number had disappeared.

"Where _are_ Teddy and Victoire?" He asked. That got everyone's attention.

Lily snickered slightly. "Who knows? Could be anywhere."

James figured that they were off planning their prank, when a horrible thought occurred to him. _They were going to pull the prank now_. Honestly, now that he had thought of that he wasn't sure why he hadn't realized it before. It was the perfect opportunity; the whole family was here, and since all the focus was on James, they could sneak off to get everything ready without everyone noticing.

It appeared that no one else had yet come to the same realization, and James decided he wouldn't take the fun out of it by telling them. He would be ready for it- but no one else would be.

That was the moment when Teddy and Victoire walked back in. They froze when they realized everyone was looking at them.

Lily smirked. "So, where were you two at?" She asked them slyly.

Victoire looked at Teddy, who cleared his throat and explained, "Well, you see, we got tired of listening to everyone arguing over James's girlfriend, so we went out to pick some berries."

"Oh?" Dominique asked, raising an eyebrow. "And where are all the berries you picked?"

"We ate them." Victoire explained after a beat.

The family looked like they wanted to question that, but the pair was saved by the announcement that dinner was ready.

James was alert throughout the whole meal, watching Teddy and Victoire closely, waiting for the moment when they would execute their prank.

"Tom Brenderr wrote me a letter this morning and asked me out- _again_." Dominique complained.

"What's so terrible about this Tom guy anyways?" Louis asked.

Dominique looked at him disgusted. "He's a slob. Always leaving scraps of paper and other junk around, eating all the time… ugh."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Almost all guys do that, Dom." He told her.

She didn't seem to have an argument for that. "Yes, well… he's overly persistent. I said no, and yet he still asks me again! Through a letter! Ugh, it's so annoying."

James dodged a grape Lily through at him as she announced, "I bet you'll say yes by the time you graduate."

Dominique nearly choked on the drink of water she had just taken. "W-what?" She spluttered. "Me? Date Tom? Ha! As _if_!"

Rose took a bite of chicken, and once she swallowed it, she commented, "You know Lily, I can't wait for the day when you're old enough to want to date. Maybe then you'll stop meddling in everyone else's lives and focus more on your own."

Lily waved a hand dismissively as Hugo said through a mouthful of potatoes, "Wew, i' wor's so'hies." Which James managed to translate into 'Well, it works sometimes."

"Yeah." Al smirked. "Like with you and Jake Auninton from down the street."

Rose blushed. "In case you've forgotten, that did not _work_." She told them.

"Yes it did!" Lily insisted. "Well… kind of. I mean, you like him!"

Rose gave her a look. "Face it Lily." she said. "You failed. _Miserably_."

"Okay, so it backfired a bit. But still! Your lives are so much more interesting than mine. Plus," she said, grinning so they knew she didn't mean it, "if I mess everything up, it's your lives that will be ruined, not mine."

"You're going to get yourself in trouble one of these days, Lils." Teddy predicted.

James glanced at him, waiting for him to pull the prank. He was a bit confused as to why they were waiting so long; people would begin to leave soon. He thought they'd better hurry up if they were going to do it, and judging by their behavior, he was certain it would be tonight.

And so James was especially confused when he left with his family nearly an hour later, and still no prank had been pulled.

 **A/N: So, there it was. A small insight into James's summer. Just two more chapters until we start second year! I really have nothing else to say, so… hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N: Woah, okay, so, fair warning, this chapter is not the best in the world. I know it's been forever since I updated, though, so I decided I'd post anyways. I swear the next one will come so much faster than this one did. Anyways… here's the chapter, hope you enjoy!**

"And the food there is amazing!"

Gloria was telling Amy, Eman, and Madalyne everything they could want to know about Hogwarts.

"What about the lake? Is it very big?" Amy asked excitedly.

"Enormous!" Gloria exclaimed.

"Are the people there nice?" Madalyne questioned.

"Most." Gloria shrugged. "But I should warn you, if any of you are sorted into Gryffindor, stay away from James Potter. He's rude, and he's always looking to get others into trouble."

"But what about his siblings and cousins?" Eman asked. "Should we stay away from them too?"

Gloria thought about that before answering. "See what they're like. Maybe they'll be an improvement on James, Fred and Louis."

"Did you see the giant squid at all?" Amy asked for what must have been the thousandth time.

Gloria rolled her eyes. "I've told you, Amy, _yes_!"

They were sitting in the living room of their house, waiting for their Grandparents, Aunt Flora and Uncle Benjamin and Jackson and Amber to arrive. They were going to have a bonfire.

Gloria had had a wonderful summer. Still, with only about two weeks left until school started, she was excited to get back to Hogwarts to see all of her friends- and, of course, be allowed to use magic again.

Usually, Gloria didn't mind talking about Hogwarts, but it got a bit annoying when she had to keep answering the same question time and time again. Luckily, she was saved by the arrival of her cousins.

They talked for awhile, before Amber said, "So, Gloria, you're trying out for beater this year?"

Gloria nodded in confirmation. "Yup."

Jackson snorted. "Yeah, well, if you make the team, having fun being _destroyed_ by Hufflepuff, because there's no way we're losing that cup this year."

Gloria scoffed, "Yeah, right. How about this. I'll make you a little bet."

Jackson leaned forwards. "Oh, yeah? And what is this little bet you want to make?"

"If Ravenclaw doesn't win the quidditch cup, I'll leave my hair red for my entire third year." Gloria said, watching him. Jackson had been begging her to stop charming her hair black since she started doing it, claiming that she looked to intimidating when it was black.

"Okay. And if Hufflepuff doesn't win…" Jackson thought for a second. "Then right before we go to school next year, I'll die my hair pink the muggle way, and I will leave it that way until it wears off."

"And if neither Hufflepuff nor Ravenclaw wins, you both have to." Amber stated.

Gloria stuck out a hand. "Deal?" She asked.

Jackson hesitated for a fraction of a second before shaking her hand. "Deal."

"That wasn't a very good deal." Madalyne said, frowning at Gloria. "You have to keep you hair red the whole year, but he only has to keep it pink until the muggle hair dye wears off? That only takes four to six weeks."

Gloria shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But even four to six weeks of him walking around with pink hair will be worth it."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Too bad you'll never get to see it, because Hufflepuff is going to win this time."

"Ravenclaw will _crush_ you." Gloria told him.

" _As if_."

"I don't know, Jackson, I wholeheartedly believe that the Ravenclaw quidditch team could beat the Hufflepuff one. I'm not saying it couldn't happen the other way around, but unless Hufflepuff has improved since my time in school… it's not likely."

They all turned to see their grandmother standing in the doorway behind them, accompanied by their grandfather.

Gloria grinned at her grandmother, while Jackson made a face. "Just because you were a Ravenclaw…" He muttered just loud enough for the other to hear.

"Gloria and Jackson made a bet." Amy told their grandma. "If Ravenclaw doesn't win, Gloria has to leave her hair red for her entire third year. If Hufflepuff doesn't win, Jackson has to die his hair pink the muggle way and leave it like that until it wears off. If neither wins, they both have to do it."

She laughed as Amy told her about the deal, before heading into the kitchen with the rest of the adults, followed by their grandfather.

Jackson smirked at Gloria. "I hope you're prepared to go to Hogwarts with red hair next year."

Gloria rolled her eyes. She also decided not to mention that she had been planning on leaving her hair red for her third year anyways, so if Ravenclaw did happen to lose, the bet really wouldn't affect her at all.

"Whatever you say, Jackson. Believe what you want. We both know who's _really_ right here." She told him.

"Yeah." He replied. "Me."

Gloria opened her mouth to retort, but at that moment her mother called for them to head outside.

Within a few minutes they were all sitting out in the backyard around the fire, talking about anything and everything.

"So, Jackson," Amy began, munching on some snacks, "you planning on getting a girlfriend this year?"

Jackson laughed. "As if. All the girls at that school are hideous."

Gloria and Amber both turned to look at him. He looked at them uncertainly. "Okay, Jackson." Amber said. "I understand that we are related, and there would be something seriously wrong if you found us attractive."

"But calling us hideous?" Gloria laughed. "I think that was a bit uncalled for."

"Er…" Jackson said, "well, obviously not _all_ the girls, because you know, they can't _all_ be hideous, but well, of course _you two_ aren't hideous, but I can't date either of you, because you know, so I decided that since the topic of conversation was whether or not I was getting a girlfriend, I decided not to include you in my statement since you were obviously excluded from the topic at hand."

"I still think you need a girlfriend." Amy said. "I mean, you're allowed to go to Hogsmeade this year, and that means you can actually take a girl on an _actual_ date."

"Maybe Amber can get a boyfriend too." Madalyne added. "But my advice would be to avoid going on double dates, because that could get really awkward really fast."

Amber laughed. "Thanks for the advice, Maddy, but I _think_ I can handle it. Besides, I don't plan on getting a boyfriend any time soon."

"I think you're all too young to date." Gloria's Aunt Flora said. "You're only 13. Or younger. I didn't get my first boyfriend until I was a fifth year."

"Lies." Gloria's father said. Flora fixed him with a stare. He raised an eyebrow. "Look, I don't care that you never officially announced it, I'm still convinced you dated Tomas Jones in your third year."

"I did not!" Aunt Flora protested. Gloria laughed slightly as the adults continued on like that for a few minutes. After a while, all the relatives had to go home, and Gloria found herself sitting in her room with nothing to do. She decided to write a letter to Lydia.

 _Dear Lydia,_

 _Well, not much longer till we start second year, huh? The summer seemed like it's gone by really fast, but I'm definitely excited and ready to go back. It will be nice to see you and the others again._

 _I made a bet with my cousin Jackson today. About quidditch. He's convinced that Hufflepuff is going to win the cup, but obviously it will be Ravenclaw. So I told him if Ravenclaw didn't win, I'd leave my hair it's natural red color for the whole third year. When Hufflepuff doesn't win, he has to dye his hair pink- the muggle way. He won't be allowed to change it until it wears off naturally._

 _Of course, the bet doesn't really affect me, because I was planning on leaving my hair red for third year anyways. Then we'll see how I like it, and I'll either decide to keep it red or do it black again for fourth year._

 _Other than that, nothing interesting has really happened since I last wrote to you. Can't wait to see you again!_

 _Love,_

 _Gloria_

Gloria put down her quill and got ready to send off the letter. Once she did so, she sat in her room thinking about the coming school year. This year they wouldn't be the youngest in the school. That would be nice, but it would also mean that the classes would be more difficult.

Gloria wondered what houses her siblings would get sorted into. Maybe they'd all be in Ravenclaw with her, or maybe somewhere else. She could definitely see Eman as a Gryffindor. Amy too. Maddy… Gloria supposed she could fit in well in Hufflepuff. Amy would fit there too. She wouldn't picture any of them in Slytherin though. Not that she had anything against Slytherin, she just couldn't imagine it.

If any of them were in Gryffindor, hopefully they would know to stay away from James Potter and his group of friends. She was sure they would once they got to know how terrible they could be, but… they could be pretty stupid sometimes.

Still, no matter what happened with her siblings, it would be nice to see her friends again. Sure they had exchanged letters and such, but it wasn't quite the same.

With a sigh, Gloria decided it was time for her to go to bed. It wouldn't be too long before she was once again sleeping in her dorm at Hogwarts. Just 13 more nights.

 **A/N: … I did warn you it wasn't very good. On the bright side, next chapter they're off to Hogwarts for their second year! Hooray! So… yeah, I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

 **A/N: So, here we are, back off to Hogwarts! In this chapter I did use the epilogue of Deathly Hallows as a reference and used stuff out of there, so… anything that you recognize I do not own.**

"I _won't_! I _won't_ be in Slytherin!" Albus said forcefully, glaring at James.

"James, give it a rest!" Their mother said, obviously tired of listening to this after the long car ride to King's Cross Station.

James grinned at Albus. "I only said he _might_ be. There's nothing wrong with that. He _might_ be in Slyth-" At that moment, James saw the look his mother was giving him and decided it best to shut up.

Within a few moments, they had reached the barrier. James took his trolley from his mum and looked at Al over his shoulder, before running through onto platform 9 ¾.

Once he was there, he went and found a compartment on the train. He didn't see Fred, Louis, or anyone else anywhere, so he just went to the place they had sat last year. They could find him later.

However, when he got there, he found the two of them already sitting there, so he left his stuff with them and went to go find his family and make sure Al got on the train okay.

As he was wandering around trying to spot them, he caught sight of a mop of teal hair that could only belong to Teddy. Deciding he would say hello, James pushed his way through the crowd of people. But when he reached Teddy, he was shocked at what he saw.

Standing there in front of him, Teddy Lupin was snogging Victoire Weasley.

James gasped. "What are you _doing_?" He asked them.

The two of them broke apart, both blushing furiously. Neither of them answered his question, so James repeated himself. "Teddy, what are you _doing_?"

After a slight hesitation, he replied, "I've come to see Victoire off." As James gaped at the two of them, Teddy ended the conversation by saying, "Now go away." With that, he took a giggling Victoire by the hand and led her a few feet away, before beginning to kiss her once more.

James waited only a second before turning on his heel and running. He just had to tell everyone; they would _never_ see _this_ coming…

After a little while of hurrying through the crowds looking for a familiar face, he finally saw them. His family had been joined by Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, along with Rose and Hugo.

He ran towards them. "Hey!" He yelled, coming to a stop in front of them, breathing heavily. Once everyone was looking at him, he began to speak.

"Teddy's back there." He pointed over his shoulder. "Just seen him. And guess what he's doing? _Snogging Victoire!_ "

He waited a second, but when no one reacted, he decided to elaborate, seeing as they had obviously not understood what he said. " _Our_ Teddy! _Teddy Lupin!_ Snogging _our_ Victoire! _Our_ cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing-"

His mother broke in, saying, "You interrupted them? You are _so_ like Ron-"

James continued speaking as if his mother had not, "-and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's _snogging_ her!"

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" Lily whispered in excitement. "Teddy would _really_ be part of the family then!"

Before James could ask her _why_ , exactly, she was not surprised about this news, his father spoke.

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week. Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

James brightened up. "Yeah! I don't mind sharing with Al- Teddy could have my room!"

"No," His father stated firmly. "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished." Checking his watch, he said, "It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."

James hugged his mother. "Don't forget to give Neville our love!" She told him.

James wasn't sure if he was horrified or disgusted. "Mum! I can't give a professor _love_!" he said.

"But you _know_ Neville-" she said.

James sighed, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him _love_ …" He aimed a kick towards Albus, wondering how his mother could be so foolish.

"See you later Al. Watch out for the thestrals."

Albus looked confused for a second. "I thought they were invisible? _You said they were invisible!_ "

James laughed, let his mother kiss him and gave his father a hug, and then jumped onto the now very crowded train and heading back to the compartment.

When he got there, he found that Fred and Louis had been joined by both Kelly and Shelby. James decided he should probably tell Louis what his sister had been up to.

"Hey, Louis, you'll never believe what I just saw." He began. Louis looked at him, not very interested.

"Hm?"

James grinned. "I just saw Vic. And do you know what she was doing?"

"Hm?"

"Victoire was _snogging Teddy_."

Louis choked on the breath he had just taken. "What? She was doing _what_?" Not giving James a chance to answer, he stood up and walked out of the compartment, presumably to go find his sister and tell her _exactly_ what he thought of her recent behavior.

11:00 came quickly this year, and before Gloria knew it, she was walking through the train trying to find a compartment. She had ditched her siblings the second she got the chance, and though she felt the tiniest bit of guilt for doing that, she told herself she'd find them and check in on them later.

When she came to the compartment she had ridden in the year before, she found James, Fred, Kelly, and Shelby already sitting inside. None of them were paying any attention to what was going on outside the compartment, so she passed by without any of them spotting her.

"Gloria!"

Gloria turned around to see Kimberly hurrying towards her, a huge smile on her face. After hugging her, she spoke again. "Oh, Gloria, it's so good to see you!"

Laughing, Gloria replied, "It's good to see you too."

Kimberly grabbed Gloria's arm and started pulling her along. "Come on, Joey and Lydia have already found a compartment. They sent me to come find you."

"Oh, great." Gloria smiled, relieved. "I thought I'd never find one."

As they walked into the compartment, Gloria was greeted by Lydia and Joey. After a while, Lydia asked, "Hey, Gloria, your siblings are here right? They'll be first years."

"Yup." Gloria nodded.

"Well, did you help them find a compartment?" Kimberly asked them.

Lydia and Joey gave her a weird look, while Gloria shook her head. "No. The second I was on the train I ditched them."

Kimberly looked shocked. "Why would you do that?" She asked. "That's awful!"

"That's what you're _supposed_ to do." Joey cut in. "My brother did it, Lydia's brother did it. You do not help your siblings on the train. It's the first step of them learning how to survive on their own."

"Yeah." Gloria agreed, grateful that they all seemed to think she had made a smart decision. "I can't hold their hand the whole way through Hogwarts. It's best if they just learn that now. Still, though, I may go check on them later. Make sure they're all doing all right."

"Hey, James." Fred said, opening a chocolate frog. "We're about halfway there. Don't you think that maybe you should go check on Albus and Rose? You know, like you promised Aunt Ginny and Aunt Hermione?"

James sighed. He had forgotten entirely about his promise to both his parents and his aunt and uncle to check on Al and Rose. "Why do I have to?" He asked.

"Because Albus is your brother and you'll already be looking for him to find Rose." Louis explained as though it were obvious.

"Who says they'll even be together?" James asked. After a look from Fred, he sighed. "You're right. That was a stupid question. I'll go."

"If you want I can go with you." Kelly offered.

James's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No! I mean… no, that won't be necessary. It'll just go much faster if I'm by myself. I'll be back soon." And with that, he left the compartment on a search for his sibling and cousin.

It didn't take him long to find them. It appeared that they had just chosen the first empty compartment they found- which still, was pretty far away from where they had boarded the train.

He narrowed his eyes as he got closer. Inside the compartment, he saw Rose and Albus. But who was that sitting with them. Surely it couldn't be-?

But it was. His cousin and brother were sitting in a compartment with _Scorpius Malfoy._

James frowned and let himself into their compartment. " _What_ are you doing?" He asked them before any of them could speak.

Albus's eyes widened and he swallowed whatever it was he had just eaten. "Chocolate frog?" He asked meekly.

James shook his head before repeating, " _What_ are you doing?"

Rose frowned back at him. "We are eating some sweets with a perfectly nice guy. What are _you_ doing?"

James chose to ignore the question and instead asked another one of his own. " _Why_ are you sitting in a compartment with Scorpius Malfoy?"

Rose's frown deepened. "Because he needed a place to sit and we had room." She told him. "And before you try to argue, it's not really your place to tell us who we can or can't sit with."

James narrowed his eyes once more. "Fine do what you want. But Uncle Ron won't be pleased when he finds out."

Rose shrugged angrily. "I don't care. I won't let him tell me who I can and can't hang out with either."

James shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. I don't care. Do what you want. I still this is a dumb idea, but whatever. Just do what you want."

With not another word, he turned on his heel and marched out. He stormed back to his own compartment angrily, and he was barely in the door before Shelby asked, "Okay, what happened?"

"They're sitting with Scorpius Malfoy!" James exclaimed. "Scorpius Malfoy, of all people. They could have sat with anyone, and they chose _Scorpius Malfoy_. The one person they were specifically told to stay away from."

"Well, you told them to stay away from the May's too. At least they're doing that." Fred offered.

James shook his head. "That's not important right now. Oh, god, Uncle Ron will kill me."

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Kelly told him. "It's not your fault they don't know how to make smart choices. Just give it some time, and they'll realize that he is not a good person to associate with."

James nodded. "I'm sure you're right." He said. "For now, all we can do is hope that that time comes soon."

Gloria was searching compartment after compartment to find her siblings, but to no avail. None of them were anywhere to be found. She was just about ready to give up, when a excited voice from behind her called, "Gloria!"

Gloria turned to see Amy and Madalyne walking with a redheaded girl.

"This is Rose Weasley." Maddy explained. "She offered to let us sit with her after we got tired of listening to Eman talk about Quidditch with the other boys we were sitting with."

"Great." Gloria said. "Where is Eman?"

"That way." Amy pointed back the direction they were just coming from.

Gloria nodded her thanks, then began walking that way. Eman was pretty easy to find, but when she made it to the compartment she stopped. It was full of boys laughing, yelling, and eating. She peered inside, decided that Eman was fine, and quickly made her way back to her own compartment.

Once she got back there, she joined in on the conversation they were having about quidditch tryouts. They talked about that and various other things until the train stopped. Gloria smiled as it did so. They were back.

 **A/N: There you were. Sorry I hadn't updated in a long time. The important thing is that I have now, and hope to again very soon. That's really all I have to say, so I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N: It has been absolutely forever since I last updated, I know. And while I can't be sure there is anyone still reading this by now, I decided I wanted to try and get back into writing fan fiction. So here this chapter is, and I really hope you all enjoy!**

James kept his eyes fixed on Albus and Rose as they stood before the rest of the school in the Great Hall, waiting to be sorted. Most of the first half of the new first years had already been sorted, so it wouldn't be too long before Albus was too.

Makenna Lyquin was sorted into Hufflepuff, and they moved on to the next name. "Scorpius Malfoy."

James focused his attention on Scorpius as he walked up and sat on the stool. Everyone knew where he would end up, there was barely any point in watching. The hat was placed on his head, and it cried out-

Nothing. It didn't say anything. James looked around, and most people seemed just as confused as he was. This was Scorpius Malfoy here, how had he not instantly been placed in Slytherin. 30 seconds went by, then a minute. James leaned over to Fred. "Is it broken?" He whispered.

Fred shrugged. "It must be. That's the only logical explanation."

Kelly shushed them, but she didn't need to. They weren't the only ones who had begun whispering, trying to figure out what had happened. Many people were, particularly the Slytherins. The majority of them didn't seem very happy.

About two minutes had gone by when the hat finally spoke. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Silence. The hat was removed from Scorpius's head, and one by one, the other Gryffindors started clapping, uncertainly at first, then harder as the initial shock of what had just happened wore off. He walked to the table and sat down at an empty seat not too far from where James was.

James was very surprised about Scorpius Malfoy, of all people, being sorted into Gryffindor, but he decided not to question the hat's decision as he turned to watch more students be sorted.

* * *

"Amy May." Gloria held her breath as Amy walked up and the hat was placed on her head. Amy had a very unusual personality at times, and Gloria hadn't a clue where she may be placed. The hat had already made one choice that surprised everyone that evening, so who was to say it wouldn't do it again?

A few seconds later, Gloria sighed in relief as the hat cried out, "RAVENCLAW!" Gloria clapped loudly and ginned as Amy came towards the Ravenclaw table and sat down, far enough away from Gloria that she wasn't being annoying, and yet close enough that she could still see her.

"Madalyne May."

The hat had only been on Maddy's head for a couple of seconds when it, once again, yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

"Emanuel May."

The hat took a bit longer deciding where to put Eman, but it eventually decided that he, too, should be in Ravenclaw. A few more names were called and put into their houses, when finally, they called out, "Albus Potter."

* * *

Albus looked extremely frightened as the hat was placed on his head, James noted. He seemed truly worried that he wouldn't be placed in Gryffindor. James wasn't, though. Despite all his teasing, he had never truly believed that Albus could be placed anywhere else. Sure enough, after just a couple of (very long) minutes, the hat said, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone clapped and cheered, and the sorting continued on, until they reached almost the very end and said, "Rose Weasley."

Rose's sorting took longer than Albus's had. James guessed it was trying to decide whether she would be better in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Eventually, though, she was sorted into Gryffindor with the rest of her family (excluding Molly, of course).

One or two people later, and the sorting was complete. Everyone was eating and talking to each other, when Albus spoke up. "It's nice to be able to eat a meal without getting pelted in the face with a bunch of grapes."

Rose swallowed her potatoes and nodded in agreement. "Definitely. If I got one more grape stuck in my ear, I was going to murder them?"

Louis scoffed. "At least you didn't get one shot up your nose."

James laughed. "I paid Lils to do that."

Louis gasped and turned to face him. "You did what?"

Before James could answer, Scorpius interrupted. "I'm sorry, but why are you getting hit with grapes?"

Albus told him, "Lily, Hugo, and Lucy decided it would be funny to throw grapes at us."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, that's basically it."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Ooooo-kay…?"

"You're an only child, you don't know the struggle." Albus said, taking a large bite of chicken.

"Amy and Madalyne got it, they have plenty of siblings." Rose commented.

James froze. "Amy and Madalyne May?" He asked.

Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, James. And before you flip out, I'll have you know that they are perfectly nice people and I'm not going to let you say I can't hang out with them."

James shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. They must be an improvement on Gloria anyways, can't get much worse than that."

Fred nodded. "True. Anything is better than her."

* * *

"And then he kissed me behind the cherry tree in my backyard, and after that-"

Lydia gave a loud sigh of annoyance, earning her a quick glare from the first year who was telling a story about this guy she had been with over the summer. "Were we like that last year?" She asked, lowering her voice.

Gloria shook her head at the same time that Kimberly said, "No way." Joey, however, shrugged.

"I dunno." He told them. "You guys talked about some pretty weird stuff last year."

The three girls all turned to look at them, and he quickly amended, "Well, I mean, the stuff you talked about was at least interesting though?"

Kimberly said something in reply to that, but Gloria didn't hear what it was. She was too busy checking to see if her siblings were doing all right. So far, it seemed like they were getting along with the other students pretty well. Amy was talking to some other first years, and Madalyne seemed to be laughing at a joke that another student had just told.

Eman seemed to be too busy to eat, as he was shoving more food than Gloria would have thought possible into his face. Gloria smiled a bit before turning her attention back to the conversation her friends were having.

"So I thought about it a lot over the summer," Joey was saying, "And decided that I am going to try out for the quidditch team this year."

"Really?" Gloria asked, grinning. "That's great!"

"I'm not." Kimberly told them. "I decided I wanted to wait another year or so until I'm a bit better. I definitely hope the two of you get it, though."

"Yeah, it would be really cool if the two of you both made it." Lydia agreed, pushing some hair out of her eyes.

"I've been thinking about going up for Keeper instead of Chaser though." Joey told them. "I always imagined just being a Chaser, but I honestly think I'd probably be better at being a Keeper."

Gloria nodded. "That makes sense. I'm still trying out for Beater, though. It's the only position I've ever wanted to play and I don't think that's going to change."

"Billy was saying he wants to try for Beater this year too." Joey told her. "He's convinced he's going to get it, but you definitely have a good shot at beating him."

They all continued talking and for another few minutes, before it was time for them to go to bed. Gloria smiled. It was good to be back.

 **A/N: So, not the best chapter and a little short, but I really just wanted to get it posted, so… I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


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